Game of Love
by Bishop Sasarai
Summary: LegaultxHeath: Heath wants to deny he has feelings, while Legault suffers silently on the sidelines. And then Priscilla enters the scene for a whole new set of problems... Ch 7 now finally up! Sub pairings: RavenLucius, MatthewGuy
1. Chapter 1

**Game of Love: **

**A Heath/Legault love story**

**Disclaimer: **_Not mine, I do not own the characters. If I did, Fire Emblem would be a whole lot gayer. _

**Notes:** _Sorry if anything is inaccurate; it's actually been some time since I last played this game…_

**_Please, Sleep my darling…_**

The day couldn't get much worse, Heath reflected as he trudged back to camp with the others. His muscles ached and his eyelids were drooping, he could barely hold onto Hyperion's lead as he walked. But hold onto it, he did, and thank whatever gods there were that he was there, for he stumbled, and Hyperion was there to catch him—he always was… Heath's lips curved upwards into a sleepy smile as he looked up into the wyvern's face. He brought a hand up to the base of the wyvern's skull.

"Thanks, Hyperion," he mumbled. Yes, the day had started out as a day he would have predicted as a good day. He'd had the chance to sleep in an extra hour, and did. And when he did wake up, they had a very nice meal set out, made by Lowen. Then all of a sudden, it started raining, and the meal was obliterated; it wasn't half as good as it had smelled only moments earlier, what with being soggy and all. Even Lowen had been upset about it. Then, they'd ended up fighting bandits… And the bandits had decided to be assholes and go around using dirty tricks like boulder tossing and balistas.

Yeah… Heath and Hyperion both could use a nice nap about now. After they ate, of course—though Heath was not looking forward to dinner tonight—he'd heard Serra was on cooking duty tonight.

Halfway into the clearing, Heath could smell something very good roasting over a fire, which puzzled him; he'd never smelled anything that good come of Serra's fruitless attempts at cooking. He crowded around with pretty much everyone else to see that Lowen was giving it another try.

"Well, I know you all missed out on a tasty breakfast," Lowen was saying. "So, I decided to give you a tasty dinner."

_Well, how about that?_ Heath thought with relief. Things were looking up. Heath tethered Hyperion to a tree near his tent, which he was glad to see had already been pitched, by Wil? Or had it been Guy? Either way, it was a nice gesture. Though… Tethering was useless for a wyvern of his size, Hyperion knew it simply meant "_stay put_." Heath got in line with the others and received a nice, hot stew that made his mouth water just to smell.

"It smells very good, doesn't it?" Lucius remarked, with a kind smile. Heath mustered a smile and nodded in return. Heath noticed a death glare from Raven, but ignored it for the most part—though Raven's death glares were nothing to trifle with.

"I'm going to sit with Hyperion, if you don't mind," Heath said, indicating the lonely wyvern tethered near a tent at the edge of the camp. Lucius said he didn't mind, so Heath meandered over to sit beside the wyvern. Big mistake. Even as he sat and began to feel comfortable, he suddenly realized he was not alone—and that the other presence was not Hyperion.

"Hey, there," said that irritatingly familiar voice. Heath bristled, but did not bother turning around to see the swarthy face of the lavender-haired thief.

"Legault," he said in a neutral tone of voice. He realized he'd stiffened and his fork was hovering over the food. He scowled and dipped the fork into the stew, taking a wonderful bite. It was as good as it smelled.

"You look pretty… haggard. Had a bad day?"

Heath swallowed his bite and directed his scowl coolly at Legault. "Does it look like it's been happy-happy fun times?"

Legault's lips curved into a smirk. "Define happy-happy fun times," he said, deeply amused by the childish words.

Heath's jaw tensed, but he decided he wouldn't even grace this with a response and went back to his meal. Legault came closer, coming from the shadows behind him where he'd made his typically silent entrance. He knelt behind Heath and draped himself over his tense shoulders. Heath nearly choked on his dinner. Coughing and sputtering, he jerked, trying to get away from Legault.

"What the hell are you doing?" Heath had always distrusted Legault's slinking ways, always been suspicious of his every move. He wasn't sure what he was so afraid of. A knife to the throat? Or something… else?

"Hugging you," Legault purred into his ear. Heath shivered. Then he blushed.

"Get off," Heath commanded, planting a hand in Legault's face and shoving at him. Legault seemed unperturbed and stood his ground. Smiling, he licked Heath's hand. Heath quickly snatched it away. "What the hell is your problem?!"

"Someone's cranky…" Legault said softly, but he did finally oblige Heath by releasing his grip from Heath's shoulders and backing off. Heath retrieved his fork, which he'd dropped into his bowl and resumed eating. He'd already learned that walking away from Legault was impossible (though it had never stopped him from trying to do so), but right now he was much too tired to go walking off. He wanted to eat his dinner and go to bed, and Legault was not going to ruin that for him.

Legault did not go away, much to Heath's chagrin. He simply came to sit beside Heath, chin propped on a hand, elbow resting on his knee. Out of the corner of his eye, Heath thought he looked rather handsome and enigmatic. His heart beat just that much faster, but he quickly turned his gaze back to his meal, determined not to delve too deeply into what those thoughts could mean.

"My mission went well enough," Legault said cheerfully. Legault's eyes were turned toward Heath, though it was only his profile that Heath could see. Legault's gaze remained on him for a moment before flicking away to the crowd around the cooking fire, laughter and talking filtering over to them in the night air. Somehow, this made Heath feel very lonely.

"Not a scratch on you," Heath said dryly, as he turned to look at Legault, eyes sweeping his figure. "Never is, though, is there?"

"I wouldn't say never…" Legault said, with a slight lifting of his chin, his eyelids lowering. Heath's gaze found itself on Legault's mysterious scar. He had a sudden insane urge to stroke it, but he resisted it.

Heath quickly dropped his gaze back into his now empty bowl. He poked the sides of the bowl with his fork. He wasn't sure what to say to that. If anything. The silence seemed to linger forever, until Heath finally looked back up to see Legault staring at him in a most unsettling way. Heath blinked and looked back down, jerkily moving to stand up at the same time.

"I should t-take this back to… Lowen," Heath said (Lowen's name having escaped his mind for a second), but as he stood, he clumsily tripped over a badly placed rock, and the bowl went twisting in his hands, flipping about as he awkwardly tried to—and somehow successfully—grab it before it hit the ground. He could see Legault try to hide a smile, but it was too obvious he was laughing at his antics. Heath glowered and stomped off with the bowl, not daring to look back at Legault in an indignant manner; for he had a feeling the bastard would be only too amused at that.

After having given the bowl and fork back to Lowen, Heath was looking forward to sleep like a madman lusts for blood. He was craving it. He needed it. He trudged back to the tent, patting Hyperion on his way into the tent, having already fed him an hour or so before arriving at the camp. Hyperion snorted affectionately at Heath, and Heath responded with a tired, "Goodnight, Hyperion."

Heath threw back the flap of the tent, only to find that Legault was already in the tent, lying on his side next to Heath's bedroll. Heath stared. "What. Are. You doing in here?"

"I'm going to sleep, silly."

Silly? _Silly?!_ Since when did _Legault_ use stupid words like "_silly?_!"

"You sleep in a different tent."

"Not tonight," Legault said, in an almost seductive manner. He was even looking nonchalantly at his nails, in some kind of "this is normal" show. Heath was not buying it.

"What did you tell Guy this time?"

"Nothing," Legault said innocently. In Legault's case, an innocent tone usually meant anything but.

"Bull. How much did you pay Wil, then?"

"Wil isn't _bought_," Legault said in an insulted tone, as though it was common knowledge. He was still casually studying his nails.

"Fine. Forget I even asked. I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Heath was not going to let that… that _pervert_ ruin his night. He needed sleep _now,_ damn it! Heath came over to his bedroll, and pointedly did _not_ move it from Legault's. He slid into the bedroll and closed his eyes.

Ah… Bliss…

Until… He realized it was not bliss. He was still wearing all his clothing and armor; even his boots. He opened his eyes, fully expecting Legault to be leaning over him or something creepy like that. But Legault was still where he had been before Heath had closed his eyes, only he now had a book in his hand, and was now looking at Heath with an eyebrow raised and that stupid smirk of his.

"What?" Heath said viciously.

"You go to sleep in your armor?" Legault tilted his head slightly, eternally amused. Heath swallowed, hard. He… He looked… very sexy like that… No, no he didn't! What was wrong with him? All of a sudden all these thoughts were coming to him unbidden. It had to be lack of sleep. Yes, lack of sleep. Wait, Legault was saying something… "…You really are very paranoid, aren't you? But I doubt that Bern will be after you when you're surrounded by all these men... I must admire your dedication, though. As one paranoid man to another."

Heath stared at him for a long moment, then blinked, shaking his head. This was ridiculous. He wasn't afraid to undress in front of another man. It was common practice as a wyvern rider. He got out of the bedroll and began the tedious chore of removing all of his armor and his boots. When it was just him, Guy, and Wil, he'd normally strip down to his skivvies, even when it was a bit cold out, like it was tonight. It was just more comfortable. However… Heath glanced at Legault. He seemed just as amused as ever. Heath tore his gaze from Legault and thought about at least removing his shirt.

But he decided against it. He would just have to be a little stuffy. He pushed all the equipment and so on to the corner of the tent, then got back into the bedroll. Moving into a comfortable position on his back with his head propped up slightly by another blanket, Heath closed his eyes again.

At first, he felt a little odd, next to Legault. He even cracked open an eye once, having forgotten to blow out the lantern, but saw that Legault had already attended to it and they were now in pitch blackness. Turning his head, he let his eyes adjust, and he saw that Legault was now lying down on his back too, his hands behind his head. In the dark, he could see that Legault's eyes were open and gazing upwards, at the small hole Guy had made with his Killing Edge when he'd been freaking out and trying to hide from Matthew. It had once been a very long tear, but Wil had set to sewing it up, and now all that was left of it was a small hole from normal wear and tear.

Somehow, this was turning out more comfortable than he'd thought possible. He'd thought… Well he'd thought Legault would be creepier at night like this. Then again, Legault's thoughts were probably pretty creepy… Who knew what he was thinking as he looked up at that tear in the tent?

Heath closed his eyes, and finally fell into sleep.

-HL-

Legault stared up at the hole in the old tent, reflecting on several events from the day. His mission really had gone well; he'd merely had to do some investigating into the terrain ahead of them, and a little reconnaissance. Legault preferred taking the spy jobs before Matthew had even heard of them… There was something strangely innocent about Matthew that Legault would rather leave untainted, and that was saying something, since most people could hardly call dear old Matthew "innocent."

But mostly he was reflecting on anything to do with Heath. Heath didn't seem to realize it, but Legault had him nicely tangled in his little web. Though, when he really thought about it, he realized that he was also entangled in a web… It seemed this little game of "love" was a dangerous one, in which one could easily become ensnared in one's own trap. Legault smiled at the irony. It was the whole hunter becoming hunted thing… Well, sort of. Rather, Legault wished it were so.

Legault sat up after a long moment of brooding, with a glance over at his sleeping beauty. Heath seemed sound asleep, his head lolled to the side, chin grazing his shoulder. He looked very young when he was asleep; more relaxed. It was… sweet, to see the normally defensive man let down his guard like that. Legault moved closer to Heath, wanting to be a part of everything that was Heath.

He rested his head gingerly on Heath's shoulder, so as not to wake him. Sliding a hand up Heath's chest, he felt the peaceful rise and fall of his breath, and he closed his own eyes. Legault was not one to sleep much. His sleep was very light… He definitely would not allow someone to get this close to him in his sleep unless he was tricking them into thinking his guard was let down, so that when they moved in too close, he could go in for the kill. But just this once, he wanted to pretend that he had the ability to let down his guard. And pretend that he was an innocent. Legault had a lot of blood on his hands; he'd done a lot of despicable things in his lifetime. He couldn't help but be drawn to those who had not; Matthew, Nino… Heath. Heath may have been responsible for the death of many, but he was destroyed by what he had done, it consumed him with guilt. It hadn't been his choice.

Legault was not such a man. He had killed many, and there was nobody but him responsible for his actions. He could have left the Black Fang at any moment, flee as he had done of late. He could have left sooner. But he hadn't. Some perverse part of him knew he was no good for anything else; killing and plundering was how he made a living, and he held no remorse for it.

If he were more like Heath… He would have died rather than do the things he had done. If the Black Fang threatened him, he would have stood his ground and died. Maybe what Heath had done in his past; flee from Bern's sentence of death, was not a good example of his actions, because Legault felt that if they had captured Heath, he would have faced his death, resigned to his fate, but at least proud.

Legault didn't really have pride; couldn't remember a time when he had. He was always selling himself off to the highest bidder. But Black Fang had gone too far, even for one such as Legault… Thinking back on it now, though… Legault could see that Eliwood was one hell of a man to allow a Black Fang into his band of merry men. An exceptional man.

Legault opened his eyes a crack, just a tiny crack, and looked at the man beneath him. He breathed him in, felt his chest rise, then fall rhythmically. Legault sighed, a barely audible sound. His somber mood was something he kept to himself, privately, in the darkest recesses of the night. He disliked being serious in front of others; it wasn't really in his nature. But at night, alone with his thoughts like this, with Heath beneath him… Legault could say to himself…

_I'm in love with Heath… _

And somehow, it made him feel melancholy.

**Please review. I tend to lose interest in posting when I get no reviews. Oh, and this is planned to be a five-part story, first three parts written already. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Game of Love: **

**A Heath/Legault love story**

**Disclaimer: **_Not mine, I do not own the characters. If I did, Fire Emblem would be a whole lot gayer. _

**Notes:** _Sorry if anything is inaccurate; it's actually been some time since I last played this game… And I laughed at Koriku's comment about happy, happy fun times. I thought the very same thing when I was writing it. We all know Legault's mind is often in the gutter. Heh. Oh, and I don't know if there's an official height chart on the characters, but I always thought of Heath as a little taller than Legault. Oh, and it would have been up sooner, if the site hadn't MESSED with me... _

The next morning was cold. It was a bone-chilling kind of cold that struck straight down to the marrow, and no amount of clutching your blankets (or bedroll in this case) could get you warm again. Heath woke up to this bone-chilling cold, but was used to it. Mountainous regions, such as Bern, was where he had grown up. He blinked his eyes and lay there for a long moment, then remembered that he'd been sleeping in the same tent as Legault. Startled, Heath half-sat up, supported by one elbow, and looked to the bedroll where Legault should have been. _Should_ _have_ being the key words.

Legault was not there.

Heath sank back down into his bedroll, not sure if the sigh that escaped his lips was of relief or of disappointment. He lay there for a time, then began to stretch. He was feeling a lot better now, as he was wont to when waking up to a fresh new day, cold as it was. The cold almost comforted him in it's reminder of home.

Heath got up and dressed, and went about rolling up the bedrolls, breaking down the tent and rolling the pieces into parts they could carry, or add to the pack mules. It didn't take very long, but by the end of it, Heath realized he was very hungry. His stomach was making awful noises so he wouldn't forget. The stomach rumbling became much louder, and Heath laughed as he looked up at Hyperion.

"Hungry?" he asked. Hyperion regarded him with a look that said, yes, he was very hungry. "All right, let's go hunt you something, then I'll eat."

Un-tethering the wyvern, Heath quickly mounted the beast and took to the air. Hyperion was all too eager to be up high; it was his favorite place to be. Heath had to agree with Hyperion… The sky was freedom. They passed over a forest, and Heath indicated to Hyperion that they should go down. They landed in the midst of the forest, though it was a little difficult with the tight growth of the trees.

Heath let Hyperion stalk the forest on his own, while he took a walk. It was a quiet walk, with an accompaniment of chattering birds overhead, and leaves silently swirling in the air. Heath smiled, a genuine smile. He almost felt human again when he took these walks with Hyperion.

Eventually, Hyperion made his way back to Heath, and Heath surrendered to the thought of going back to the camp. Not that he dreaded it; he just… wished it could always be so peaceful. What an impossibility in this cursed world.

As Heath and Hyperion leisurely made their way back to the camp, Heath noticed there was somebody crouched beside a small pond in a clearing towards the middle of the forest. Heath tensed, thinking that Legault had stalked him into the forest, or found out he'd gone and sat around waiting. But he saw that the person was completely different from Legault...

"Priscilla?" Heath said, somewhat incredulously. She was the last person he'd expected to see all alone in a forest like this. He dispelled any feeling of disappointment that might have arisen, and came over. Priscilla stood and looked up at Heath with a tearstained face, taking Heath aback. He lurched forward. "Hey! Are you all right?" he cried in alarm, taking her arm.

Priscilla sniffled a little, and shook her head. "I-I'm fine, but I can't find m-my horse…" She cast a sad glance around the clearing, and indeed, there was no horse to be seen.

"She's brown, right?" Heath asked, letting go of Priscilla's arm and mounting Hyperion. At Priscilla's timid nod, he said, "I'll find her, don't worry."

As Hyperion began to take flight, however, Priscilla leapt forward and placed a hand on Hyperion's flank.

"Wait! Please…"

"What is it, my lady?" Heath asked, looking with concern at her worried and terrified face. She was whiter than ever. Pulling her hand back from the wyvern and clutching her hands to her breasts, she nearly whispered, "I'm… afraid. To be alone in here…"

Again, she cast a worried glance about her. Heath was instantly on high alert.

"Why?! Did you see something in the forest?!" Heath asked, eyes darting wildly about for some unseen enemy.

"Nothing that I saw, but…" Priscilla inched closer to the wyvern, which Heath thought was extremely brave—that or she was that scared to be alone in the forest. "I-I thought I heard something earlier… And it spooked Rainbow…"

_Rainbow? _Heath felt somewhat sorry for the poor beast, getting stuck with a name like that.

"Could I… Could I come with you and Hyperion…?" she asked, her eyes shining as she looked up at Heath. Heath hesitated. He'd never had anyone else ride Hyperion with him before. But he didn't want to leave a girl alone in the forest, especially when she was hearing strange noises that spooked her horse.

"All right," he finally relented, putting out a hand for Priscilla.

"Oh, thank you!" Priscilla gladly took the proffered hand and with Heath's help, mounted the wyvern behind Heath. She pressed herself against him, wrapping her hands around his midriff. Heath tensed up at the unfamiliar contact, but willed himself to relax, for his anxiety was being detected by Hyperion, who was snorting and shifting nervously.

"All right… Hold on tight," he warned Priscilla as he nudged Hyperion upwards. The girl's grip on him tightened uncomfortably. _Now, why did I have to go and say that? _Heath thought, annoyed with himself. Perhaps he was too nice for his own good.

Hyperion took to the air easily, and Heath directed him to glide over the forest. They were so low at first, that Hyperion's tail accidentally grazed a few trees. But at this close proximity, it was hard to see anything that may be moving in the forests, so Heath urged Hyperion to go higher.

"I don't see--!" Heath began, but then he glimpsed a flash of brown dashing through the greenery of the forest; and though brown would normally blend well within a forest such as this, it was conspicuous enough to have caught not only Heath's attention, but some men in the forest. Priscilla leaned into him, looking over his shoulder.

"There she is!" she cried and pointed toward the skittish horse dodging the men closing in around her. It was only obvious they were trying to capture her. She was fine specimen, and would probably gain those bandits a nice bundle.

"I see her," Heath said, only just keeping the annoyance out of his voice. They were both in the same place. What, did she think he was blind, or what? "Hyperion, let's go lower; catch those guys by surprise."

Hyperion obediently swerved towards the men, diving down into the trees. Priscilla shrieked and buried her face in Heath's back. Heath lowered his head, desperately hoping he didn't lose his head to a branch. Flying low as he was, Heath had the presence of mind to pull out his spear and sent two of the men sprawling as a consequence. As the men yelped and others leapt out of the way, Heath saw one trying to get out of the way so fast that the unfortunate soul blindly ran and smacked straight into a tree. Heath pulled on Hyperion's reigns, bringing them into a tight turn that brought down three more men; one to Heath's spear, the other two by Hyperion's tail. Priscilla was clutching at Heath as though she were deathly afraid—which she probably was.

However, all the knocking down of the men wasn't necessarily helping—for half of the men were gathering their wits and standing up and looking pretty menacing. Not only that, but Rainbow had taken off for parts unknown. For all Heath knew, more bandits were still chasing her, and he now had several bandits to contend with.

Heath sighed, but he readied his spear for battle, and took in the men around him. There were three holding axes, one archer, and two myrmidons. They didn't look _too_ terribly tough, Heath told himself. He could take them. Probably.

"Hey, Priscilla," he muttered over his shoulder. She looked up from where he face had been buried in his shoulder. She looked a little green around the gills now. Great, she was airsick. Just wonderful. He'd warn her not to barf on Hyperion, but he had a serious question to ask. "You did bring your heal staff, right?"

"Yes."

Great, she was good for something! Heath felt more confident now. But as he turned to face the bandits again, he realized they'd doubled in number in the mere moment it took him to ask Priscilla that question.

"Oh jeez…" he growled. Now what the hell was he supposed to do?!

The leader sniggered at him, swaggering forward with his ax held before him, pointing it threateningly at Heath.

"You decided to mess with the wrong bandits, there, wyvern boy."

Heath swallowed hard, looking around. They were completely surrounded! But… Heath narrowed his eyes, and looked the leader in the eyes.

"I'm not afraid of a couple of bandits," he said defiantly. He had been a wyvern knight of Bern. He wasn't going to back down so easily. "And I won't go down without a fight."

Plus, he had Raven's sister to protect.

Heath had Hyperion charge forward, his gaze never leaving the leader's. The intensity of Heath's gaze met the ferocity of the leader's, and spear clashed against ax.

"Heh," Heath said as he twisted his spear so that the man's hold on his ax became uncomfortable. He kept twisting, intending on breaking his hold on the weapon and forcing him to back down. But the leader was clever. He used Heath's force to his advantage and suddenly moved the ax downward, causing Heath to pitch forward, losing his grip on both wyvern and spear. His spear went clattering to the ground, as Heath used both hands to hang onto Hyperion's neck.

"No!" Priscilla attempted to hold him steady, but the leader had now plunged his ax into Hyperion's neck. Hyperion howled in anguish, and the anguish quickly became anger. The wyvern reared up and roared loudly, swinging around so that his tail could take care of the leader.

"No, Hyperion!" Heath cried, digging his fingers into the wyvern's neck and trying to will Hyperion back with all his might. But it was worthless. Heath and Priscilla were both thrown from the enraged and injured wyvern. The back of Priscilla's head slammed into a tree and she was knocked out cold. Heath reached out for her from where he'd rolled into the dirt and leaves of the forest floor. He'd taken many falls from a wyvern and knew to roll, but Priscilla had little experience in such things, and wasn't expected to know how to fall.

"Priscilla!" Heath's outstretched hand was viciously stepped on by a nearby bandit. "Augh!" Heath could hear the crunch of his bones. It wasn't yet enough pressure to break them, but…

Suddenly, the man who was stepping on Heath's hand was on his knees on the ground, clutching his throat, which was bleeding profusely.

"Gguuuhh…." The man fell forward onto his face, eyes bulging and glassy. He was dead. Heath frantically scrambled to his feet, looking around. Another man was falling, and the bandits' faces mirrored the confusion and bewilderment on Heath's own face. However, Heath wasn't going to waste time gaping. He rushed to Priscilla's side, dropping to one knee beside her and putting two fingers to her throat.

She was breathing.

Heath expelled a quick sigh of relief, then quickly turned back to retrieve his fallen spear. Standing, he thrust the spear through one man who lunged at him, turning in time to guard against a sword and quickly pierce through the second man's armor. Out of the corner of his eye he was somewhat surprised to see a violet hurricane whirl away from the leader. The leader dropped dead. Heath withdrew his spear from the second man's gut, staring at Legault standing across from him, blades out and that infuriating smirk on his face.

Stunned into silence for a moment, Heath merely stared, then his own lips twitched into a smile which he tried quickly to hide by bringing a hand up to his forehead to push hair out of his eyes.

"Heh. Legault," he greeted the assassin with relief flooding his body. "I don't think I've ever been happier to see you." He lowered his hand and of course, a breeze decided to gust through the forest at that very moment, bringing his hair back across his eyes.

Legault lifted his chin just the slightest, gazing at something just beyond Heath, at the very same time sliding his blades back into their sheaths. Heath turned and followed Legault's gaze to the fallen Hyperion.

"Oh gods no!" Heath's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, and he raced to the wyvern, feeling as though he were in a nightmare where everything moved too slowly. Everything around him felt surreal, like in a dream. Too real to be happening. "Hyperion!" Heath fell to his knees, throwing his arms around the heaving wyvern. An ax was imbedded in his side, two arrows protruding from his left leg. The wyvern made a pitiful noise and nuzzled Heath. "Hang on just a moment, buddy…"

Heath moved back some and looked at the wyvern through blurred eyes. Hyperion was… his everything. The two had been paired when Heath was very young, and had been inseparable since then. He couldn't bear to think what life would be without him… Assessing the damage, Heath thought it wasn't half as bad as it looked, and he willed himself to calm down. He had to removed the weapons from Hyperion. He didn't want to, but only then could he clean and heal the wounds. Heal the wounds… Heath remembered that Priscilla had said she'd brought her heal staff!

"Legault!" Heath spun around, ready to direct the man to wake her, but he saw that Legault had—typically—beaten him to it.

"Way ahead of you," Legault told him, with that eternal smile of his. Priscilla was holding her head and looking dazed, but other than that, seemed none the worse for wear.

Priscilla seemed to take stock of the situation surprisingly quickly, coming over to Heath and looking at the wyvern. "We need to pull the weapons out…" She looked like she was about to faint just looking at it, so Heath waved her away.

"I know, I'll do that. You need to get something to clean it with… And your staff."

Priscilla pulled the staff out, and then looked about them. "Where was that little stream at…?"

"I'll get the water," Legault said. Heath started to rise, protesting against it.

"No way. None of us should be alone in here right now. Who knows how many more of them are here, or if some fled and are waiting to ambush one of us alone?"

Legault put up a hand. "Don't worry about it, Heath," he said softly, though his gaze was intense. Heath closed his mouth around more protests and sank back down next to the injured wyvern. "I can take care of myself." Heath lowered his head, not sure what to do or say. "I'll be back in a moment…"

When Heath looked back up, Legault was gone. Why was there this strange clenching around his chest? Why did it seem harder to breathe? Oh, right. He was worried. Hmph. Worried about a thief/assassin like Legault… He'd never have thought Legault would have been able to fight like that. He seemed so… fragile. It seemed only one hit from an ax and he'd… Heath forced himself back into reality. Hyperion. Hurt.

He turned back to the wyvern and gently rubbed his belly. "Hey… I'm going to take these out… All right, boy?" Heath murmured soothingly at the beast as he gripped the shaft of the first arrow. At first, he thought of taking it out slowly, but then he realized that it would only prolong the pain. So he gripped the arrow's shaft tight as he could—though his palms were now slippery with sweat—and pulled it out with all the might he could muster.

Hyperion cried out in anguish, but did not so much as nip Heath. Instead, he nuzzled Heath, as if to encourage him. Heath was shaking. He didn't want to do it again. But he knew he had to.

-HL-

By the time Legault came back, he saw that Heath was on his knees, bent over the wyvern, forehead leaning on an uninjured patch of the beast's flank. His eyes were closed. On the ground beside him were the two arrows and the ax, covering in Hyperion's blood. Legault sympathized with Heath. He knew how much the man cared for his wyvern partner.

Priscilla saw Legault's approach, and quickly stood up and took the water. Legault watched wordlessly as Priscilla approached Heath and said something to him, holding out the water. Heath straightened up and took the water. He ripped off his own sleeves to dip into the water and wrung them out before applying the cool water to the wyvern's wounds.

"I'm sorry," Legault said as he drew closer. Heath looked up, surprised.

"Huh? About what?"

"If I'd taken action sooner…"

"It's not your fault," Heath said tiredly. "It's nobody's fault."

It was nice to hear that. Legault wished Heath knew _how_ nice.

Legault took his place with his back against a tree, twirling a dagger aimlessly in one hand as Priscilla proceeded to use her Heal staff and Heath stood anxiously by. He watched as Heath looked lovingly down at Hyperion and felt an aching stir in his heart for such love to be directed at him. He wished… Well, he wished a lot of things… But he wished Heath knew… What a good man he really was. Heath obviously regarded himself as the very worst for what he'd had to do as a soldier of Bern, but Legault knew it was not true. And he wished Heath knew that, too. But Legault had a feeling that if he pointed this out, Heath would instantly be suspicious…

Hah, why, if Heath knew Legault's life story, he'd have nothing to be ashamed of. But he would probably think Legault some monster, and he wouldn't be wrong. Legault turned his gaze to a falling leaf and watched it struggle to reach the ground. With the wind blowing it about, it was having a time of it just trying to find a place to land. Legault felt a little like that leaf. Trying to find a place to land on his feet, but all the while, he was merely moving where the wind willed him.

"Thank you, Legault," Heath's voice broke into Legault's self reflection, and Legault looked at Heath, who was now standing nearer.

"For what?" Legault said with a smirk. "Killing is nothing to an ex-Black Fang!"

"No, I mean… For getting the water, and… For just being there." Heath sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Normally, I'd be pissed at you for being here when I was… I'd think you were stalking me or something…" Legault could tell by the expression that crossed Heath's face that he thought he _had _been stalking him, when actually, he'd noticed Priscilla going off on her own. "Anyway, I'm glad you were here. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise you'd have to explain to your commander why you were missing a spear and broke your precious …fighting hand," Legault teased.

"Or worse."

Wow, Heath was serious. He wasn't getting mad at his innuendo or anything. Must be a saint. At least, for the moment.

"Or worse," Legault agreed. Then he pushed himself away from the tree, giving the dagger one last twirl before sliding it back into its sheath, and took a few steps toward Heath to close the gap between them. "Let me ask you something, Heath."

"What?" Ah, there was that wary look Legault had grown to love. Sort of. It _did_ amuse him to no end. But there was that other look that Legault liked to see more…

"What did you think I meant that day, when I said I was joking about this thing called 'love'?"

Heath had grown very quiet all of a sudden. Legault loved how he could trap Heath with only the power of his voice and his words. Heath looked off to the side. Ah! There was the look he liked to see! The one where Heath looked so unsure of himself. The look that told Legault he was hiding something… The look that said that Heath himself was denying something, trying to pretend there was nothing but irritation between them.

"I didn't give it much thought," Heath said. Legault knew he was lying, for he had seen the look. He took that half-step forward that put them close enough to embrace or to kiss. Close enough to make Heath nervous.

Predictably, Heath took a step backward. "Why do you always have to do that?" he scowled, crossing his arms.

"Always have to do… what?" Legault asked innocently.

"Twist things around like that! Make those perverted jokes!" Heath threw a hand up. "Don't you think about anything else?!"

"No. Do you?"

"Ugh!" Heath tried to turn away, as if to storm off like a prepubescent teenager, but Legault quickly attached himself to Heath's arm, cuddling close and for a moment, he even allowed himself to bury his face into the other man's chest. Ahhh… Even the scent of Heath's sweat was pure to Legault's senses.

Legault looked up at Heath, who was now attempting to walk away, hoping to lose Legault.

"Where are you going, Heath?" Legault asked, closing in. Heath tried to push Legault away, but he held fast. "Can't take a joke?"

"No!" Heath exploded, and this time when he shoved at Legault let himself be pushed. Oh, so now he was showing some anger. Well, perhaps he'd pushed him a little too far at his emotional state. "Can't you be serious for one moment?! Jeez, what's wrong with you?"

"I guess I'm just wired that way," Legault said flirtatiously. Heath, exasperated, turned, and found himself face-to-face with Priscilla. She jumped backwards, and Heath stormed past her, to his wyvern. Legault and Priscilla regarded one another.

"Do you really love him?" Priscilla asked timidly. What a question for her to ask! Legault smiled mysteriously.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Do you love him?" Legault asked.

"What a thing to ask!" Priscilla said, blushing.

"Well, you asked me."

"Yes… Yes, I did. I'm very sorry…"

"Nah. Don't be." Legault put up a hand. "We should find that horse of yours."

"H-how do you know about that?" Priscilla asked, taken aback.

"Oh, I don't know…" Legault looked about airily. "I expect it has something to do with being who I am, though."

Priscilla didn't seem to know what to make of Legault, and instead looked to Heath, who was now leading Hyperion over to them.

"Luckily, his wings are all right," Heath said, ignoring Legault as he walked past him. "Otherwise he'd still need to lie down. His wings are his weak point."

As it was, Hyperion seemed to be fine, the ax wound had turned out to be a flesh wound; the arrows had merely gave him a slight limp that would probably be gone by the end of the week.

Legault was glad about that. He didn't know if he could stay so jocular if Heath was in true pain over the death of his partner. Legault recalled all the people he'd killed… All the people who had worked, ate, slept beside him. Trusted him. And he'd turned on them, killed them because he was ordered to. Yes… Legault was not a very popular fellow in the Black Fang. Far from it. At the time, he'd told himself he'd had no choice to make himself feel better. But he was not fool enough to believe his own lies. It had only been a matter of time before he'd broken free of that life. But, was he really free from it at all?

Legault looked down at his own hands, remembering the innocents he had killed. Was he really without remorse?

Legault dredged himself from his memories and looked at Heath and Priscilla, both happily chatting away as if Legault did not exist. Would it be better if he didn't exist? Would Heath be happier that way…?

Nah. Legault couldn't give him up.

He needed him too badly.

**Thanks for reviewing, you guys! I wasn't holding it hostage, I swear! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this installment—it was a lot longer than the first, sorry—and I hope you continue to give it awesome reviews and keep reading. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Game of Love:**

**A Heath/Legault love story**

**Disclaimer: **_Not mine, I do not own the characters. If I did, Fire Emblem would be a whole lot gayer. _

**Notes: **_Yeah, so…Thanks for all the reviews! They make me fluffy on the inside! You know what's weird? That Priscilla keeps popping up in my fics when I hate her! Ack! But I'm glad you all said she was in character. I don't like it when anyone is out of character, even if I don't particularly like them, so I did try. _

"Rainbow? What kind of name is that for a horse?" Legault said, raising an eyebrow incredulously. Heath smiled inwardly, for he had had the same reaction to the name when he'd heard it. Only he'd been tactful enough to keep it to himself.

Priscilla didn't seem to mind Legault's tactless response, though. She smiled.

"I thought it was a cute name for her when she was little," she said a little apologetically. "I realize it's a little silly for her now…"

"There's nothing wrong with the name," Heath said, glaring defiantly at Legault. "She was a young girl when she named it. And it—it has potential."

Legault laughed and draped an arm around Heath's shoulder.

"Potential? I suppose it does. What a strange way to look at it, though." Legault purred and nuzzled Heath. "I like you." Then, after a moment of awkward silence, "I think your name has some potential, too…"

"What do you mean? It's just Heath," Heath said, irritated. He wanted nothing more than to shove at Legault to show his great dislike, but so far, that tactic had done nothing. Heath wondered what he'd have to do to rid himself of the annoying assassin. He had a feeling reciprocating Legault's affections would only make him worse, rather than have the desired effect of scaring him off.

"Yes, but it has such a lovely ring to it… _Heath_…" Legault said, his voice suddenly sounded low and husky. "Heath… Yes, _Heath_… I think it would sound nice if I—"

Now Heath did shove Legault away. Of course, stupid! He meant it in a sexual way! He always meant it in a sexual way! Legault snickered and actually got in an ass-squeeze before Heath had managed to escape.

"You're too easy, Heath," Legault chuckled. "You might want to see about putting up your guard more."

Before Heath could argue in the face of Legault's teasing, he saw that Priscilla was rushing forward, to where her mare stood, grazing on a patch of grass.

Too late, Heath also realized there were still a few of those bandits after the horse and one of them grinned widely to show off his stumps of teeth as he lunged forward, intending on capturing the girl, too.

Legault was not so slow.

Blade met blade with a loud metallic clang as Legault stood before Priscilla and defended her from the wayward bandit. Priscilla cried out, ducking and moving backwards. Anxiously, she looked to her horse. It was then that Heath saw it, another bandit in the trees, aiming his arrow towards Legault.

Heath grabbed his spear and charged forward, just as Legault spun around and saw the arrow coming his way. He brought up his dagger in time to deflect the arrow, but the other bandit saw his opening and plunged his own dagger into Legault's side.

"Legault!" Heath reached him just as the bandit with the dagger moved to attack Legault again. Legault managed to parry the blow, while Heath shoved him into a bush and fell on top of him.

"Why, Heath… I know I'm a sexy beast, but I think you could at least wait until _after_ the battle…" Legault taunted. For some reason, this time Legault's bait had a strange effect on him. It must have been their position; it _was_ rather intimate.

He wanted to kiss Legault.

He wanted Legault to kiss him.

His head swam with these thoughts for a moment until Priscilla called out, "HELP!"

Heath swung his head up to see that Priscilla was being dragged away by the one with the dagger, and the one with the bow was now aiming an arrow at him.

"Damn!" Heath swiftly got back to his feet to defend Legault and rescue Priscilla. Gee, he was feeling a regular hero today. But he ended up not having to do anything, because the archer was soon falling from the trees screaming.

The reason? Hyperion had just bitten his leg.

Hyperion watched the man fall to the ground before coming over and stepping all over him.

"Hmm… It seems the beast knows he's kin to the ones that hurt him…" Legault said, struggling to sit up. Heath noticed with concern that the cloth beneath Legault's hand—now resting on his wounded side—was now blossoming with blood. But… Priscilla… Heath turned to see that the other man was now fleeing Hyperion, who had only to look up and snort to cause a panic. Priscilla swept a hand across her dirty dress, then looked over to her horse, who was now sauntering over. Priscilla took the mare's face in her hands and pressed her own face to the horse's.

"Oh, I missed you, Rainbow…"

Heath looked on for a moment before turning back to Legault. "Are you okay?" he knelt beside Legault, genuinely worried.

"Oh, I'm fine…" Legault said, before grabbing Heath's collar and drawing his lips to his own. He kissed Heath long and hard, and Heath was surprised by his own inability to move away. Or the way that he didn't _want _to move away. His eyes, previously widened in surprise, slowly began to close of their own accord. Damn… Legault was… a very good kisser… Heath felt himself begin to kiss Legault back, but suddenly, Legault was pushing _him_ away. Heath blinked in confusion for a moment, wanting nothing more than to go on kissing Legault, but Legault was now standing up, hand to his bleeding side, acting as if nothing had happened. It felt like Heath's world had shifted, yet Legault remained untouched. How could that be?

Heath stared at the grass and watched a wandering ant squiggling by. What… Had just happened? Heath tore his gaze from the ant, glanced up at Legault. Legault, for once, was not looking at Heath. He was over by Priscilla, getting a helping hand with his wound with her Heal staff. Heath licked his lips. They still tasted of Legault. If it had just happened, why was he the only one affected by it?

Heath looked back at the ant. It was now crawling up the trunk of a tree. What a carefree life that ant had. He bet that ants didn't have such a thing as complication. They just did what they needed to survive. Humans needed a lot more than the bare minimal for some reason.

"Heath, are you coming back to camp with us, or are you going to use your heat glare to burn the forest down?" Legault asked him. Heath looked at him without words to say. What _could_ he say? If he asked him why he'd kissed him, he'd probably say something like "that thing called love," or "why? Did you like it?" in his perverted tone of voice.

"I'm coming," Heath said grumpily, standing up and dusting himself off.

-HL-

Okay, well, he'd done it now. He'd kissed Heath. And it had felt good. Very good. How could he resist, what with Heath looking down at him with naked worry in his face? It was nice to be worried about. Plus, Heath had just looked so sexy. Where was his willpower? He asked himself. Where was his determination. Oh, wait. He didn't have these things. Silly him.

Oh, he could have continued kissing Heath senseless all day, but there were things…in the way of this. Legault could care less about having an audience—Priscilla—and he certainly wasn't in a rush to get back to the others; though surely by now they had to have sent out someone to check on them. After all, the head count would come up at least three short. At least. (Legault had a feeling others had gone off to do their own things as well… coughMatthewcough ) Legault knew all about Matthew's little plans to woo Guy, and he thought it was…cute. Matthew. He was like the diet coke version of him. Yes, diet coke, because he wasn't quite to his level yet.

Anyway, his reasons for not continuing the kiss with Heath were simple and dastardly. He wanted to see if it would have any effect on Heath, this kiss. Was it going to change his actions? Legault had a keen eye, and he was definitely going to keep that eye on Heath to see if he had caused any sort of reaction at all in the other man.

He could already see the question in Heath's mind.

Heath wasn't used to this; being kissed without explanation, before or afterwards. And he was… looking pretty grouchy right now. Legault smirked. Maybe he should have done this "kiss, then act indifferent" thing a while ago. Heath was such a little virgin. Legault thought about that. Or was he? He was certain that he was a man-virgin, but as for women… Had he? Legault gave Heath an appraising look. Well, if he was, why was he so awkward with women? Well, maybe awkward wasn't the word… Heath was just very…blunt. He probably gave _some_ thought to what he said before he said it, but not enough to soften it, so that he usually ended up sounding…well, kind of rude, sometimes.

He was also mostly an honest man, though Legault thought he must be hiding something from him… Like, maybe being attracted to him? This could be wishful thinking, but at the very least, Legault did know that he must have grown on him, because annoyed as Heath sometimes was with him, he did sometimes seem to enjoy his company… If Legault could curb his own personality.

And that kiss had definitely affected him, Legault thought with a smirk as he noticed Heath lost in his own world. Priscilla was telling him about her first ride on the poorly named Rainbow, and Heath was obviously not listening… He merely nodded a few times, but his expression remained troubled.

When Priscilla finally seemed to sense this and closed her mouth, Legault sauntered over and put an arm around Heath's shoulder.

"So, what did you think?"

"Of what?!" Heath cried, turning red. "I thought nothing of it!"

"Aw, that's too bad," Legault said with a sad look at Priscilla. "I thought it was quite a heartwarming tale, myself. Straight out of a children's book… A girl and her horse…"

Of course, Legault had purposely left the question vague to get a rise out of Heath. It was nice to see how predictable Heath could be.

Heath looked anxiously over at Priscilla. "I didn't mean it like that!" He opened his mouth to say more, but Priscilla was shaking her head and looking kindly at Heath.

"It's all right. I could sort of tell your thoughts were elsewhere…"

She looked so melancholy that even Legault felt somewhat bad for her. Actually, okay, he didn't feel bad at all. She always looked melancholy. But her look worked on hapless Heath, who shrugged off Legault's arm and said, "I'm very sorry, milady…"

"You don't need to address me like that," she said with a blush.

"But I keep forgetting, and…"

"It's really not necessary. Don't worry about it. Please."

Gag me, Legault thought, looking off to the side for a moment.

"If you insist…"

"I do."

"All right…"

There was a long silence, and then they had broken out of the trees and into the clearing that used to be their camp. Stamping horses and pack mules stood around anxiously, while the members of the army bustled about with last minute touches. Raven and Lucius were there in an instant, and Legault definitely sensed some hostility from Priscilla towards Lucius, even if it was well hidden.

Raven nodded at them, as if to give his thanks, before turning away, as Priscilla began her story. Lucius stayed behind a moment to thank them.

"Thank you very much for returning her safely," he said with a bow.

"Don't mention it," Legault said with a wave of a hand, while Heath said, "Your welcome."

Lucius chased after Raven and his sister, while Legault and Heath stood in silence. Then Heath was turning to him. "Why did you do that? In the woods?"

"Do what?" Legault feigned innocence. Heath stared at him for a long time, glaring.

"You _know_ what."

Legault moved closer to Heath, so that Heath was forced to take a backwards step—into a tree, and brought a hand to Heath's chest, tracing a finger downwards slowly. Heath grabbed his hand.

"Stop it! I'm trying to ask you something!"

"Oh, Heath, Legault! There you are!" They both looked up to see Wil; Heath irritated, Legault ever-amused. "With you two here, that's the last of us. We can start forward now. We're going to be guests in a castle for a few days while we buy supplies and weapons! Awesome, right? We get to sleep in beds…"

"Yay," Legault said, and his eyes slid towards Heath, first his hand on his own, then his face. Heath was still looking annoyed at Wil's interruption. He hadn't released Legault's hand.

"Okay. Does that mean we're leaving now?" Heath asked.

"Yep! Better get moving!" Wil pointed. The company was already moving to their next destination. "I'm riding with Rath!"

"Good for you," Legault said, still looking at Heath.

Wil shot Legault a puzzled look. "Are you two all right? Are you fighting? Or…?" He was looking at their hands. Heath looked down at where he was still clutching Legault's hand in a vice grip. He instantly dropped it.

"No. Never mind," Heath said. He was now looking over at Hyperion.

-HL-

The journey to whatever castle it was they were going to according to Wil, lasted into the evening, and it was probably around nine or ten when they finally came upon it. Heath had ridden Hyperion a few times to check ahead, along with Vaida and Umbriel and some of the Pegasus knights. It was one of the least tiring journeys thus far, but Heath…couldn't stop thinking about stupid Legault.

And Legault, of course, didn't seem in the least affected at all. It really peeved him. It was just like that jerk, to go around kissing people and then acting like it had never happened… Of course, Heath found himself wondering why he was obsessing about it so much, but he didn't really want to think too much into it, or he'd have to admit something about himself he'd just as soon rather not.

But… every time he was in sky, he'd scan for the thief, and when he did find him… There was that stupid hastening of his heartbeat. And he wondered what he was talking about with Nino and Jaffar. Or well, Nino, since Jaffar wasn't much of one to converse with. And then he'd notice something totally cheesy, like the way his hair moved in the wind. Or he'd recall the kiss and his face would blaze again.

At the castle, they were ushered into the servant's kitchen to dine, since it was rather late. They'd have a proper, fancy dinner tomorrow. Heath sat next to Priscilla and made polite conversation. Legault was halfway down the table, again with Nino, though Jaffar was now nowhere to be found.

It was after dinner when it happened.

The mistake.

Heath was walking the halls, even though he'd already been given a bedroom; sharing with Guy and Wil again. Hyperion was outside, with Umbriel for company, so that wasn't what he was worried about. Wil had dropped his junk off in the room, but left. Guy was currently in there cleaning his sword. He was anal about taking care of his sword. …Why did that sound…so wrong?

Anyway, he wasn't really worried. He'd just lain down to go to bed, but couldn't, so he was roaming the halls. He was heading back to his room at this point, when he came upon…Priscilla. She was standing shyly in front of his door. When she saw him, she stepped forward. Heath looked at her questioningly.

"Did you want to see Wil or Guy?"

"No… I spoke with Guy… He told me I could wait in the room, but I thought…" She looked down. "Well, I thought it improper, so I declined."

"Okay," Heath said, not sure what she was after. "What did you want?"

Well, he might as well just come out and ask it, right?

"I was wondering if…" she looked down again. "If you'd like to take a walk with me? Outside? In the… moonlight. It's pretty outside right now."

"Uh, sure," Heath said, and they started towards the door. The walk there was silent, and they went out into a garden. Some people were already out there, looking at the moon together. Heath was already starting to regret his decision, but more-so when he saw that Wil and Rath were happily making out near a rosebush. He almost hoped they'd be stabbed by thorns, but then felt a little guilty for thinking it.

Priscilla lead him to a place towards the middle of the garden. She murmured something, and Heath frowned and asked her to repeat herself. Instead, she looked around quickly, then quickly leaned forward and up on her tip toes to kiss him.

Yes, well. She was not very good at kissing. Her idea of a kiss seemed to be just to plant her lips on his.

That was it.

Obviously, she didn't have much experience. Not that Heath had all that much himself, but he had kissed enough girls by now to know how a real kiss should be. Though, no kiss beat Legault's. As soon as he thought that, he was pushing her off of him.

"Wh-what?" he started, before a fist connected with his face and all he saw were stars.

"Milord! You need to learn to control your temper more…"

Heath looked up to see a blonde angel before him. He blinked, then realized it was Lucius… Who might as well have been an angel, he supposed.

"Are you all right? I'm very sorry! He gets so overprotective… Here, let me mend you…"

"Don't bother," Heath said, as he closed his eyes. Was there really a point in wasting a Mend staff on a little black eye? When he opened them again, he saw that Raven was glaring down at him from over Lucius's shoulder. Should he attempt to tell them the truth? Staring at Raven's glare, he decided against it. It would probably only serve to tick Raven off more. He didn't want to tick Raven off.

Sitting up, Heath put a hand to his face. And winced. It hurt. A lot.

"Are you sure--?" Lucius asked anxiously.

"Yes, yes…" Heath got to his feet, and didn't look at any of them. "I'm… I'm gonna go to my room…"

Heath could hear Lucius scolding Raven, and Raven getting angry at Priscilla, and Priscilla… Well, he didn't hear what she said. He was inside by then.

Trudging back to his room, Heath looked up to see someone waiting for him again. This time it was Legault. Hah! What a night this was turning in to!

Heath reached for the door, giving Legault his best irritated look. Legault seemed surprised to see the bruise. "What happened there?" Heath saw it coming, but was too tired to dodge. Legault's hand was on his face, gently caressing him. A thief's hands…

"Looks pretty fresh…"

Heath turned away from Legault. "It's nothing."

He opened the door to his room, to emptiness, though Guy's headband was on the floor. Heath picked it up and put it on a dresser so it wouldn't get stepped on.

"Well, people don't get black eyes for no reason. What happened?"

Heath regarded Legault for a long moment. "Nothing happened. It was nothing."

"Wanna drink?" Legault said out of nowhere.

"Huh?"

"A drink. Want one?" Legault produced a small bottle of a dark amber drink from his pocket and shook it.

Normally, Heath would have said no. Tonight, he reached for the bottle without a word.

**To be continued! Keep up the reviews! I am really having fun with this story… They are my favorite pairing, though… **


	4. Chapter 4

**Game of Love:**

**A Heath/Legault love story**

**Disclaimer: **_Not mine, I do not own the characters. If I did, Fire Emblem would be a whole lot gayer. Oh the visions… _

**Notes: **_I've been playing the game again, too… So I hope the personalities are accurate. THANK YOU for the reviews! I love them! Nothing makes a bad day melt away like a batch of new reviews. Oh, and now with added Matthew/Guy! Kinda. Don't get too excited. _

Alcohol and that weird surreal feeling you get before you realize you're in love is a very potent combination. It really is. And so it was with Heath.

Heath snatched that bottle from Legault, and took a deep swig, enjoying the burning sensation down his throat, and the warmth that pooled in his belly. It was nice to take the edge off things for a moment.

Legault smiled slyly at him, and for a moment, Heath thought about giving the bottle back and going to bed. Instead, he took another deep swallow. He wasn't going to let Legault sit there and secretly manipulate him. Always with the ulterior motives! Couldn't he ever just come out and say exactly what he meant?!

"So, Heath…" Legault stood there, with a hand on the dresser, all casual like. "I was wondering…" Legault's fingers danced on the smooth wood, caressing it. Heath seemed unable to peel his gaze from those slender fingers…

"What?" Heath asked, taking another drink.

"Are you a virgin?" Heath looked away from Legault's fingers with difficulty, and into those sly lavender eyes, just a tone lighter than his long hair. Those scars… He wondered how he'd gotten them. Without even realizing it, he was reaching for them.

Legault seemed maybe a little surprised, but he didn't move away, allowing Heath to trace the two lines across his eye. He didn't even blink, even though Heath could have easily poked his eye out. Legault's gaze was so steady. Heath couldn't look the thief in the eye when he was sober, but here he was, staring him in the eye. Was Legault drunk right now? Was he always drunk? How did he manage to keep his gaze so steady?

"So, are you?" Legault asked, and Heath was again distracted by that smile… Such a smile it was… Heath could never tell how true the smile was. Legault was pretty good at faking things.

"Am I what?" Heath asked, removing his hand and taking another gulp of alcohol. It was pretty good stuff, though Heath had no idea what kind it was. He might have been suspicious that it was poisoned or something, but he was getting far too drunk by now to remember to be suspicious.

That was for later.

"A virgin," Legault repeated. He was obviously amused by Heath's inability to stay focused.

"Yes." Heath admitted. "I was too busy with Hyperion, with training, with battle. There was no time for that sort of thing." Then, looking at Legault, he found himself curious. "What about you?"

"I haven't been a virgin for a while," Legault told him.

"Oh…" Why did that seem to weigh heavy on his heart? Because Legault had done… things with other people…? Like it was really a big deal at their age, anyway. It was kind of more odd, really, that Heath had so little experience, wasn't it?

As Heath downed some more alcohol, Legault eyed the nearly empty bottle. "You know, when I offered you that drink, I didn't mean you should drink it _all_. Are you _trying_ to get drunk?"

"Maybe."

Legault smiled lazily at the answer and said nothing, but he did lean forward and pluck the remainder of the booze from Heath's hand.

"Hey!" Heath protested.

"I think you've had enough. You don't want to do something you'd regret later, do you?"

"Like…what?" Heath said in a low whisper. Almost unconsciously, he was moving towards Legault, backing the smaller man into a wall and using his arm to bar his escape route. Legault was looking at the arm in his way with amusement. He could easily escape, but he didn't want to. He was interested in seeing what Heath planned on doing.

He didn't have to wait long.

Heath leaned in and stared at him with dusky eyes. The guy was…horny, Legault noticed with sly pleasure. Legault brought a hand up to the back of Heath's neck, massaging it gently, deftly, hooding his eyes as he looked back at Heath.

"Heath," he started, feeling as if he had to at least_ try_ and deter him, but Heath crushed his lips against Legault's, a kiss full of desire and need. Legault was kissing him back, and even his head was spinning, though he hadn't actually had any alcohol himself. Heat was coursing through his body, and he found his fingers curling into the hair at the base of Heath's neck. He moved his hips slowly against Heath's, and used his other hand to stroke Heath's spine. Heath's back arched at the touch, and his breath hitched. He gasped for air, removing his lips from Legault's mouth and to his neck.

Heath's hands… were everywhere. He wanted to feel every single inch of Legault's body. His shoulders, his sides, his hips, his thighs… Legault seemed to like it, and the way he was moving his hips… was driving Heath insane. And how was it that he knew exactly where to put his hands to make Heath flare up in pleasure? And now… Legault was nuzzling the side of his head, his neck, there was a kiss on his jaw line that involved tongue, and then he had captured his earlobe with his teeth… And then he was suddenly lower, at his collar bone. The sensations were resonating through Heath's body, and all he could see was Legault. All he could smell was his intoxicating smell.

Heath recaptured Legault's mouth under his, desperately wanting to taste him. He could feel Legault's hands at his waist, gently moving his fingers down, tracing the feel of his pelvic bones. As his hands slowly traced lower, Heath gasped against Legault's lips, and he suddenly moved Legault backwards, until he found the bed, pushing Legault backwards onto it. Legault couldn't help but curve his lips upward; he'd thought about this moment plenty of times, but he never would have predicted that Heath would be the aggressor.

Heath's kiss grew more demanding, and Legault responded in kind, exploring every inch of Heath's mouth, their tongues battling it out and their hands pursuing places that would make the other react. Legault was first to find one of these spots—he had only to pause and lick his index finger and thumb, and caress upwards, under Heath's shirt, and gently tweak Heath's nipples to get the man to arch his back and moan. Legault smiled knowingly. He knew where best to touch someone… And he'd also never been one to like his sex quick.

Legault made his move, rolling Heath over so that he was the one on his back, and he straddled him, looking down into his drunken, lust-filled face. This was too much. He had absolutely no morals. If Heath remembered this, he was going to get the freezing treatment for the rest of his life. But Heath was staring at him, and his golden eyes were looking at him with need and desire. How could he say no to that?

Heath brought a hand up, grasping some of Legault's hair, a dreamy look in his eyes; almost like childhood wonder. Legault watched him stroke his hair and his gaze softened. Heath was… Legault bent forward and kissed him gently on the side of the mouth. He couldn't do this… Not like this… Maybe he could have if he hadn't seen Heath looking at him like that, but no way. He couldn't do it now. He moved off of Heath, who didn't let go of his hair, but instead, tightened his grip on it.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Legault put his hand over Heath's hand. "We can't do this," he said, even though his explanation would be completely lost on the drunken wyvern lord. "You'd kill me in the morning, whether I hung around or not. After yelling at me, and getting angry at me_ and_ yourself, you'd give me the cold shoulder, and I wouldn't even be able to be your friend. I know you well enough to know that much. Even if you don't remember specifics, you aren't stupid. You'd notice something, you'd come to the realization."

Legault looked at Heath, unable to keep some sorrow from creeping into his gaze. He disentangled Heath's fingers from his hair.

"Why are you going?" Heath asked, still looking disoriented.

"Because, Heath…" Legault hesitated, then smiled sadly. "I love you."

Then he turned away from Heath and left the room, unable to stay and prolong the torture a moment longer. He stood out in the hall for a long, silent moment, his back to Heath's door, until he heard some footsteps that jarred him from his faraway thoughts.

"M-Matthew!" he heard Guy's squeak from down the hall, and Matthew's laugh was unmistakable.

"What?" The feigned innocence in his voice was also very typical of him. Legault had to smile. Matthew… was quite the rogue, wasn't he?

"You know what!" Guy whined. They were in Legault's line of sight now, and he watched them, amused. Guy was holding onto the end of his braid, which seemed to have lost its tie. "You stole my hair tie!"

"Prove it," Matthew challenged, his eyes dancing as he grinned at Guy. Legault crossed his arms. Yes, those two were smitten. They just didn't know it yet. Or… at the very least, acknowledge it. Ah, sexual frustration. It took its form in many ways.

Guy looked at Matthew suspiciously, before using his free hand to attempt to grab one of Matthew's—which was conspicuously clenched around something. Matthew's hand darted out of the way, but Guy caught his arm. He let go of his braid, which started to unwind and tried to snatch Matthew's hand, now that he was holding his arm in place. But Matthew continued to smirk, clearly enjoying watching the smaller myrmidon struggle to get his tie back.

"Matthew!" Guy was prying at Matthew's clenched fist. "Just let me have it back!"

Yes, this whole thing reminded Legault of that kid who always picked on the kid he liked, too afraid to express himself in any other way, but longing to be near the one they wanted. Even if it meant tormenting them in order to gain their attention. Legault wondered briefly if Guy would even look at Matthew if he wasn't always pulling pranks on him and stealing his things. It was a little sad, too, Legault reflected, how obvious it was that Matthew clung to Guy so much more after the death of Leila. He didn't think either Matthew or Guy was aware of this, and how it was potentially harmful to both of them. That is, if Matthew couldn't figure things out and separate his different feelings for the two people, and not just try to unconsciously replace Leila with Guy.

"Why, hello there," Legault said conversationally as the two came closer to Heath's door. "Having fun, you two…hm?"

Matthew looked peeved to see Legault there for a moment, but the cloud across his expression quickly cleared. As a spy, Matthew was good at faking things.

"Night, Legault," Matthew said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was… visiting Heath," Legault responded evasively. "I see you two are…getting along." His lips curled up slowly.

Guy looked at them both, furrowing his brow. He wasn't sure what he was implying, but he seemed to realize it was something that should make him mad. Before he could speak up, though, Matthew merely grinned.

"Night, Guy. I think I'll be keeping this…" Matthew smirked and let the tie fall out of his fist enough for Guy to see it before flipping it back into concealment within his fist. "Overnight. Hope you don't mind." With that, he gave what was left of Guy's braid a little tug before taking off into the shadows of the hallway.

Guy's face as he watched after him was a mixture of anger, disappointment, and…something else. Legault regarded him with amusement.

"Well, have a nice night, Guy. I'll be off. Tell Heath I'd like to talk to him when he's sober, all right?" With that, Legault left Guy stunned in the hall.

-LH-

Morning came, and Heath found himself half-dressed and with his blankets kicked onto the floor. Next to him, in the giant bed, Guy was curled up on his side, his hair everywhere. Curious. Heath had never seen Guy take his hair out, not even when they went to bed.

Sitting up, Heath saw that Wil was lying on the end of the bed, lying cross wise. He was spooning a pillow and mumbling something in his sleep. Sighing, Heath placed a hand to his forehead, then threaded his fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what all had taken place last night. He remembered… He remembered something with Legault and drinking. And some…kissing action. His face flushed red at the thought of kissing Legault… He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, didn't he? But ye gods, he hoped that was all it had been and that he hadn't had sex and blacked out. A corner of his half awake brain informed him that he wouldn't want to forget something as big as sex with Legault. He shivered a little as he remembered intense kissing. He drew his hand slowly from his hair to his lips, feeling them. They were only slightly swollen. Probably nobody would notice anything.

Heath sighed again and got out of the crowded bed. He stalked into the bathroom and took a long, warm shower, taking care when he washed his face, so that he didn't make the bruise he'd gotten from Raven sting anymore than it had to. After stepping out of the shower and drying himself off, he caught his reflection in the mirror. Tousling his hair, which stuck up on its own, he frowned at himself. He had never thought of himself as good-looking, least of all right now, with a bruise and a mild hangover—if there was such a thing.

Heath turned away from the mirror and tossed the towel onto the toilet, dressing as quickly as he could. He didn't know why he was in such a hurry—it wasn't like there was anyone in particular he wanted to see.

Coming out of the warm bathroom into a cold hallway with a wet head was the last thing Heath wanted to do. He came out to see Wil standing in front of the bathroom, doing the world famous pee dance. Huh. So maybe there had been a reason to hurry. Heath quickly stepped to the side to dodge Wil, who was rushing past him into the bathroom.

"Sorry!" He felt the urge to call as Wil slammed the door closed behind him.

"S'okay!" The friendly voice called back, sounding only slightly strained. Satisfied that Wil wasn't peeved at him for hogging the bathroom, Heath trudged down the freezing hallway to the bedroom he'd shared with his usual tent mates, so that he could back up his things and grab his armor. Guy was awake by now, but just barely—he was sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Heath?" he said, his voice bleary with clinging sleep.

"Yeah, it's me."

Guy let himself fall back into the bed like a rag doll. Heath mused on how childlike Guy could be sometimes.

"Don't want to get up?" Heath asked, as he stooped over his bag and began sweeping his things into it.

"Not really," Guy admitted. He held his hands over his eyes for a long moment, before letting them fall to the side of his head, onto his long hair, which was fanned out across the pillows. Heath couldn't help thinking that a picture was worth a thousand words, and that Guy, though definitely not his type, did look pretty sexy. He smiled wryly, thinking Matthew would probably have quite the nosebleed over this.

"Beds are nice'n soft…" Guy said, still sounding a little slurry from sleep. He stroked the bed as if to punctuate his words. Heath had shoved all of his things into his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he stood. He had to look in on Hyperion, who had been stuck in the stables, like some kind of common horse or something. Heath was amazed that they even had stables big enough for a wyvern of Hyperion's size.

"Well, you're going to have to get up eventually," Heath said, and as he turned towards the door, he saw Matthew lurking in the doorway. He was…definitely checking out Guy, who, on top of lying on the bed like he was trying to seduce someone, also had his shirt riding up to show a nice bit of skin. Guy still didn't see Matthew, so Heath cleared his throat. "Especially if you don't want to be pounced on by Matthew."

"What?! Where?!" Guy sat up with a speed that shouldn't have surprised Heath (but it did anyway) and was already reaching around for his Killing Edge, which he'd left on the nightstand beside the bed, probably prepared for such an assault.

Matthew looked only somewhat annoyed when he looked at Heath, and his amber eyes, which had been glowing softly when he'd been looking at Guy earlier, were now taking on a more mischievous look. Heath looked back at Guy, who had his sword raised and looked like he was about to leap off the bed if he had to.

"Give me back my hair tie!" Guy pointed at Matthew with his free hand.

"What are you talking about Guy?" Matthew asked, with an innocent bat of his eyes. "I didn't take your tie."

"You did!!!" Guy accused, rising up off the bed. "I saw you! I saw it in your hands!"

"You were obviously very tired, Guy. I don't have it." That roguish grin he was wearing didn't help his case at all.

"No!" Guy said, trying to maintain his conviction, but he seemed to be faltering. "No, I saw it. Come on, Matthew, give it back… I can't fight with my hair like this," he complained. "I'll have to cut it off…"

"Why would you…?" Matthew didn't seem too happy about that.

"Okay, okay, Matthew, just give him his hair tie thing," Heath interjected, looking annoyed. He should have left earlier. This stupid argument was childish, and he thought they were both being immature. "Everyone knows you have it, and he needs the thing."

Heath stood and waited until Matthew slid the thing out of a hidden pocket in his cape and held it out for Guy. He waited until Guy mistrustfully moved forward and took it.

"All right then," Heath nodded. "Now I'm off." He didn't want to baby-sit these two any longer. The only beneficial part of being around them was that he felt ten times smarter for it.

Matthew smirked a little as he watched Heath leave, but Heath paid him no heed. Matthew was hardly a threat.

The stables were nice and quiet when he got there, though it was still pretty damn cold. Heath made his way around the stables to the large area they'd kept Hyperion and Umbriel in. Hyperion was excited to see him, moving his head forward so that Heath could give him a rub.

"Hey there, Hyperion…" Heath crooned a little as he was gently nuzzled against. He was definitely most at peace with Hyperion. He even let his guard down around the huge beast. "Let's go get you something to eat…"

Hunting went a lot better this time. There was no fiasco involving damsels with scary brothers in distress, or missing horses, or stalking assassins. It was just… a simple, peaceful hunt.

He was sorry to come back.

Breakfast was made by the castle's servants and cooks, so it wasn't bad. And Heath still didn't know exactly where they were, but his slight headache made it so that he really didn't care. When he entered the servant's dining hall again, he noticed that of the four long tables, there was no swarthy lavender-haired assassin sitting anywhere he could see. He didn't know why his heart seemed to sink, but he liked to think it was from relief, not disappointment. By all rights, he should be indignantly seeking the man out, so that he could find out just what had happened last night.

As things were, he didn't see Legault, even if he wanted to start an argument. So, he settled with taking a seat next to Wil, who was now looking a lot better since he'd last seen him frantically dashing into the bathroom.

"Hello, Heath!" Wil greeted him excitedly. "We're having a big breakfast this morning!" He was all but singing. "Pancakes, scrambled eggs, chopped potatoes…" He looked positively blissful over the menu, and he was eating his food with matched fervor.

Heath nodded. "Yeah, okay…" Heath brought his plate closer and ate at a slower, fixed pace than Wil. Again, his thoughts were drifting to Legault. He couldn't seem to get the man out of his head. He kept thinking he might feel better about things if he could see him, but he still wasn't—Ah, no! Spoke too soon! There he was.

Legault stood halfway across the room, speaking to Nino, with Jaffar a few feet behind her. She seemed to be quiet vehement about something, but Legault looked like he was barely listening. Then he saw Jaffar step closer to Nino, who held out her hand as if expecting something. Jaffar gave her something in a small brown bag, which Nino then gave to Legault. Legault looked into the bag, then smiled, clearly amused. He said something to Nino, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder, then taking off with a casual wave of two fingers.

Heath narrowed his eyes. What the hell was going on over there?

**Please review! Fan fiction authors thrive on them! Anyway, sorry for the wait, people. You have absolutely no idea what all's been going all. Doesn't matter, though! Another chapter has arrived! Celebrate! I command thee!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Game of Love:**

**A Heath/Legault love story**

**Disclaimer: **_Not mine, I do not own the characters. If I did, Fire Emblem would be a whole lot gayer. Oh the visions… _

**Notes: **_Thankyouthankyouthankyou for all the reviews and support and patience. I've been busy with pregnant and sick guinea pigs, on top of work, so it's been a difficult road lately. Thanks for those who are sticking around!_

Legault sat with his back against a tree in the castle's garden, one of his favorite positions. They were scheduled to stay another night here at the castle while the army got ready with supplies and such, but it left Legault with nothing much to do. Oh, he and Matthew had been sent for the usual reconnaissance work, but not much had been found by either of them. Admittedly, they both had something else—er, _someone_ else—on their minds that was more appealing then their work. But neither was one to skimp on their work even under such circumstances.

Now that his work for the day was done, though…

Legault held the bag he'd received from Nino out in front of his eyes. This was nothing but a peace offering. It had no real value, and Legault had thought it a little silly, but it was a cute idea, nonetheless. He smiled even now, as he thought of the contents of the bag.

Definitely silly… He wasn't sure he would go through with it. It was almost… well, too weird and too_ cute_ for his style. His kind of gift was more like some alcohol—wine, probably and/or sex. Still staring dubiously down at the gift Nino—and Jaffar—had insisted he take, he almost failed to notice that Heath was coming over. And he didn't look happy (wait, when did he ever again? Right. Never…). Still, Legault could feel his lips curving up in amusement as he watched the green-haired man approach.

"What is that?" Heath asked directly. He didn't try to make any kind of overtures at all. Legault found this even more amusing, and made no attempt to hide that he was amused.

"Just something you don't need to know about." Legault lips curved upward mysteriously as he pocketed it. Heath's eyes followed the bag. He looked up at Legault's ever amused face and glared.

"I think you're lying."

"You may or may not be right."

Heath looked like he wanted nothing more than to strangle Legault, but instead he crossed his arms and faced away from Legault. Oh? He wasn't going to stalk away with some excuse that Hyperion needed a bath or a paint job or something? Legault soundlessly stalked over to him and slipped an arm around his waist while resting his chin on Heath's nice, broad shoulder. Legault's eyes half closed as his lips twitched into a contented smile. Ah, the smell and warmth of Heath. He didn't mind being regarded as a creepy stalker at all, as long as he got to do things like this. He could feel Heath's muscles tensing, and he drew his right hand up to Heath's other shoulder.

"Hm… You feel awfully tense…" Legault murmured, lightly massaging Heath's shoulder as he spoke. He raised his head a little, so that when he spoke, his breath caressed the skin around Heath's ear. Legault still didn't sense any change in Heath's muscles. "Do you need a relaxing massage, Heath…?"

Heath finally moved away, his face looking decidedly redder. He glanced around.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Asking you a question. You shouldn't be so tense. We're marching into another battle tomorrow. Can't Hyperion sense tension? What if he harms you or throws you off during battle?"

"You don't know anything about Hyperion. Or wyverns, for that matter."

"Oh? So… Are you saying your own Miss Vaida doesn't know anything?"

Heath's eyes narrowed. Legault's eyes traveled down and saw that he was also balling up his fists. Oh my, looks like he'd hit a weak spot. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means…" Legault looked down at his nails with a bored expression. "That she's the one who told me about the… tension issue."

"She told you to offer me a massage," Heath intoned in disbelief. "For the good of the union of Hyperion and me…?"

"Oh, no. She didn't go that far. I said something to her along the lines of 'gee, Heath looks so tense lately,' and she told me her… concerns."

Heath was silent a long moment, just giving Legault his best, 'Is this guy for real?' look, until he growled in the back of his throat. "I can't believe you! Now you're meddling with my _boss_?! And even if what she says is true, and I'm not going to say it is, because I'm not handing you any kind of ammunition—why would she ever suggest that _you_ be the one to get rid of my tension, when_ you_ are the one causing it in the first place?!" He sliced at the air with a hand, looking furious.

"Am I now?" Legault purred, drawing closer to Heath. His eyes locked onto Heath's, and he gently slid a hand along Heath's jaw line. Heath seemed to be frozen in place. "So… If I'm the one causing the tension, how do you propose I eliminate it…?" Legault could see Heath's gaze focus on his lips, and he could guess where the wyvern rider's thoughts were: right where he wanted them… Legault's lips formed into a slow smile, and he was about to say more when he was interrupted… Always interrupted, damn it!

"OH! There you are, Legault! I've been looking all over for you!"

Legault slid his eyes to the right to see a tiny, pink haired menace standing before him. Oh great. Wonderful. Lovely. Heath was already looking at Legault like he wanted to kill him. Hah. As if the attraction was one-sided. He was clearly getting reactions from Heath. The only problem was, figuring out if these reactions meant anything serious, or if it was just Heath's inexperience speaking for him. Hm… That made him wonder. And gave him an idea. If someone other than himself tried to kiss him…

"What is it, Serra?" Legault asked in exhalation. His eyes slid towards Heath, and he noticed he hadn't gone anywhere. Hm? What did this mean? Perhaps Heath had hired Serra as a bodyguard. If so, he had chosen an effective one, at least for Legault's game. Very effective. Too effective, really.

"I need your help!" The little cleric chirped. She had no sense of tact whatsoever. She marched over and gripped Legault's arm and tugged. Legault resisted.

"With what?"

"With… stuff…" Serra looked at Heath and winked. Oh gods, she really_ was_ his bodyguard? He wanted to know if the gods hated him. Because it seemed they were all aligned against him. He couldn't think of a time they were ever on his side. Wait… Did he even believe in those things? _Give me one reason to_… he thought, shooting the thought like an arrow to them; if the bastards were listening. Or were they goddesses? Eh, whatever.

"What stuff?" Legault asked, still standing strong. Serra was tugging at him with all the strength of a poodle. Ineffective, but annoying. To say the least.

"STUFF!" Serra shrieked, stamping her foot impatiently. "Come with me! NOW!"

Impending tantrum warning.

Legault looked in Heath's direction, raising a brow.

"Serra, Heath?"

To Legault's surprise, Heath looked every bit as surprised as Legault had been when he'd thought… Well, apparently he was wrong. It seemed Heath hadn't hired her at all. But then, that left it all so… open. Who'd decided they were going to sic the little brat on him? He supposed he wouldn't find out until he was 'lured' off by Serra.

"Fine, fine…" Legault conceded, letting the girl drag him off. As he left, he looked back at Heath and watched his face contort as he left him with the parting words, "Later, Heath! My room, what do you say?"

Legault was fairly sure people liked to steer clear of his room. Not only was he himself located there, but so were Matthew and Jaffar. It was a convention of all the people everyone studiously avoided in the army. Perhaps Matthew was somewhat exempt from that stigma, but people really didn't take kindly to the ex-Black Fang members, that was for sure. Plus, Legault seemed to have a reputation as Heath's stalker. Maybe people thought he was going to start stalking them if they decided to talk to him.

"So… What do you want, Serra?" Legault asked as she dragged him back into the castle and into an empty hall way. _Please tell me she hasn't taken a strange liking to me…_

"This has nothing to do with you, silly!" Serra declared.

"Oh? Then why did you drag me away…?"

"I'm playing matchmaker! SHHHHH!" Serra put a finger to her lips; she was the loudest person Legault had ever heard or laid eyes on. And she was trying to hush _him_. Interesting. If gods created her, it was to test everyone around her, not herself. She was like a divine patience tester. That sounded about right. Cleric, no. She was no healer. It almost seemed like anything she tried to repair ended up more broken than it had started.

"Playing… matchmaker?" Legault repeated slowly, not sure he'd heard right. After all, she had_ just_ broken up his match! Or the match he was attempting to create. He thought he'd been doing fairly well for himself. After all, Heath had come to him willingly, rather than the other way around. And he'd strangely been sticking around, as well. Perhaps his curiosity for the stupid thing in the bag was getting to him. Legault regretted that it wasn't something more serious, or valuable. Or at least useful to the green haired wyvern rider.

"Yep!" Serra nodded, an insane glint to her eyes. "It's only so obvious that Matthew has the hots for Guy. And Guy has to have the hots for Matthew."

Legault already knew this. But he could feel his heart sinking with dread.

"Serra, it's best if you stay out of it…" Legault tried, but Serra continued.

"And it's so obvious that Priscilla wants to hook up with Heath— !"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Legault put up his hand in a stop motion. "Serra. What the hell are you doing--?!"

"I'm matchmaking!"

"No, no! Just stay out of--!"

"No way! I'm the vessel for St. Elimine's wishes! I am going to bring all the couples together!"

Legault grabbed Serra's little shoulders and shook her, in an uncharacteristic show of temper. But only for Serra would one such as himself resort to shaking. She wouldn't understand him in any other form. Tactfulness had to be laid to the wayside; Serra didn't get subtle hints.

"Listen to me right now, you little wench!" Legault hissed. "Don't you dare meddle with anyone, especially not Heath! Do you know how hard it is to seduce someone that paranoid?! It's not easy! He's touchy and skitzy as a stray cat! Not to mention Priscilla! Priscilla is so wrong for him, it's not even funny!"

Legault pushed her up against a wall, about to finish his tirade with a few choice words, when he heard an "eep!" down the hall. Both Legault and Serra turned their heads to see Florina rushing back from where she came from. Legault stared after, speechless for a moment. Then Serra started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Legault asked, turning back to her. Serra dissolved into giggles, and getting an answer out of her was impossible. He removed his hands from her shoulders and stepped back, waiting for her to get over her attack. After a long moment, she finally seemed to get a hold of herself. "I still don't see what's so funny…"

"Sh-she's going to think you were…!" Serra lapsed back into her giggles. Legault put a hand to his face. He got the gist of what she was saying now.

"Ugh…" Of course. It must have looked like he was going to attack Serra, or at the least, like they were a horny teenaged couple. If word spread about this… Well, he didn't mind people thinking of him as Heath's stalker. But to be smitten with Serra? That was another thing altogether. Quite an embarrassing rumor to be spread about him. Nobody with good taste was going to lust and slaver over someone like Serra.

Serra giggled again, apparently relishing the thought. Legault would really have to work to maintain that he had no interest in Serra whatsoever. Maybe Florina wouldn't tell anyone, Legault feverishly hoped. Somehow, he doubted he'd have the good fortune for Florina to neglect telling at least one of her sisters, who would then in turn tell the other sister, who would then in turn tell someone else, and it would get to Rebecca, and the entire company would be nattering on about how Legault and Serra were getting it on in the hallways of a castle.

Legault thought for a moment of racing after Florina and explaining things to her, but something—experience—told him she'd run off, more terrified than ever of him.

"Why so speechless, Legault? Are you truly falling in love with this perfect creation that is my body?" Serra tittered.

"No. I'm thinking about how little people will object if you went missing."

Serra didn't take kindly to that, and after much huffing and stamping and general Serra tantrum-making, Legault finally realized that it wouldn't matter what he did in the way of saying he and Serra weren't an item. Truth be told, he doubted many would believe it. Legault was already seen as a lecherous homosexual, so there really was no case with this whole Serra thing. No. Now he was more concerned with this thing with Priscilla.

"You're trying to match Heath with Priscilla?" Legault said, getting back on the old topic.

"Yep! She's already with Heath right now! That was why I had to lure you away!"

"So… Do you think she would attempt kissing him?" Legault wondered, his thoughts drifting back to his earlier thoughts about what would happen if someone other than himself attempted to kiss Heath. He was wholly ignorant to the fact that Priscilla had already done just that, having never got the answer out of Heath when he'd asked about his black eye.

"That little priss?" Serra snorted in a very unladylike way. It shouldn't surprise Legault how very little like a lady Serra really was. "I doubt it."

"Still… I'd like to…watch." Legault's gaze slid slyly sidelong at Serra, a smile playing at his lips knowingly. Serra was as much a voyeur as he was, though for what reasons other than just being a nosy little cleric, Legault didn't know. Serra giggled knowingly back.

"Okay! I wanna see if my love match is working out!" The little pink bundle of energy took off the way they came, Legault shortly behind her. They came back out into the castle's garden, and it seemed the happy little couple was still there. The two of them sidled up into some bushes and crawled their way to a location closer to the pair. The took up positions in the brush about the two, and Legault could hear that Priscilla seemed to have just got done with profuse apologies, for Heath was refuting them.

"No, no. No need to apologize, Priscilla. I know you didn't mean any harm by it."

"But… My lord broth… I mean, Raven… He hit you so hard last night. I never would have… kissed you at all, if I had thought something like that would happen. I… I really am so sorry!"

Her voice was disgustingly wobbly with emotion, Legault noticed. He also didn't fail to catch the gist of what had happened. Priscilla obviously kissed Heath last night, which then resulted in Heath's beautiful black eye. Tsk, tsk. Heath should have known better. But in light of this news, Legault wondered if that kiss from Priscilla was what had truly ignited Heath's passions when Legault had doused him with alcohol. This thought didn't sit very well with him. At all.

"Seriously, it's all right…" Heath said, sounding somewhat annoyed by now. Legault wondered if the sad little nag had been pestering him with apologies the entire time they'd been talking.

"You don't dislike me for it, do you?" Priscilla asked, turning her face up to Heath appealingly. Legault flicked his gaze at Serra, who met his gaze and stuck her finger down her throat in the universal gagging sign. Legault felt much the same way.

"And you wanted them together…why?" Legault asked in his lowest voice. Serra had to crawl a little closer on her elbows, so that the two were nearly knocking heads.

"Does it make you jealous?" Serra asked, her eyes glowing wickedly.

"Maybe just the slightest," Legault responded. He glanced back at the two, and saw that Heath was looking around for the source of their voices. Legault put a finger to his lips, hoping to keep Serra silent. She was now staring at the two with rapt attention. Legault looked back at them, and saw that Priscilla seemed to be trying to shyly kiss Heath—apparently again. But Heath placed his hands on her shoulders, effectively stopping her in her tracks. Priscilla stared up at him in gently sad query.

"Is it something I did? Are you still truly angry…?"

"It's not that," Heath responded gruffly.

"Then…?"

Heath sighed and ran an agitated hand through his hair, the other hand at his mouth, nervously chewing his thumbnail. Legault found this look quite appealing. He edged a little closer, silently.

"It's my brother, isn't it?" Priscilla said in resignation. "You needn't be so polite… If you are intimidated by him…"

"Look, it's not your damned brother!" Heath said, seeming to have lost his patience. He seemed very flustered indeed. He stopped ruffling his own hair, but unconsciously kept his other hand where it was. He moved in a slow circle, facing a tree behind him, and turning his back on Priscilla for a moment. He seemed to be trying to collect himself. He turned back to Priscilla after a moment, and she seemed very anxious to hear what else he had to say. "I'm sorry about snapping at you just now, it's just I'm not sure about …things. It's not you and it's not your brother. I swear it, upon my honor as a proud knight of Bern. Or… as far as that honor can be said to go, now that I've deserted…"

"It's Legault, isn't it?" Priscilla said, so quietly, even Legault had to strain to hear it. He was a little surprised that she had the insight to even think of Legault. And here he'd thought she was just some oblivious bimbo. Legault focused on Heath's face, which seemed to be drained of color one moment, and then turned a surprising shade of red shortly after. Legault could see Heath's jaw working, even from here.

"I…That's… He's… What makes you say that?" Heath finally seemed to be able to come up with something coherent to say after all. It seemed enough answer for Priscilla. She frowned prettily, and she sighed sadly. Such the tragic little princess.

"I knew it…" Priscilla said. "I always seem to lose to men… It's not how it should be… I… I cannot even compete."

Even Legault was somewhat confused by this. The only conclusion he could draw, was that she was speaking about Lucius having taken Raven. Legault watched Heath furrow his brow; he seemed equally confused.

"I'm sorry. I don't follow… What are you talking about?"

"My lord… er, Raven… He has his man, and Guy, he has his man. And now, I come to you, and you, too, have a man. How am I supposed to… I mean…" She looked melancholically at the ground. "It just doesn't seem right, is all…"

Heath and Priscilla stood mutely, awkwardly looking at the ground and the garden, but carefully not at one another. At length, Priscilla excused herself, and half ran away. At this point, Legault fully expected Heath to call out to him and Serra, but apparently, he truly didn't sense their presence. Heath stood there by himself for a long time, then walked off as well.

**Thanks again for any reviewers and especially to people who take the time to favorite myself or my story. The next chapter should not be so long in coming, seeing as how I've got it all worked out already! Go me! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Game of Love:**

**A Heath/Legault love story**

**Disclaimer: **_ I do not own the characters. If I did, Fire Emblem would be a whole lot gayer. Oh the visions… Also… Yeah, sorry for the very long wait. I hope it's not a disappointment after such a long vacation. I'm thinking a MatthewxGuy after this is over and done with. Y/N? _

Heath felt very muddled and guilty all the rest of the day, after that horrible meeting with Priscilla. He felt awful about how it had went, but he had no feelings whatsoever of the romantic sense for Priscilla. It didn't help to tell himself that. Actually, it only served to make him feel all the more worse for it. Another thing that didn't help was that he could not stop thinking about whatever Legault had in that bag he'd been carrying around. For some reason, he was sure it had to do with him. But Legault, as usual, had been his secretive self.

Yes, Heath had gone looking for him. No, Heath had not found him. He had no idea where he could have gone, but it was just one more complication to add to his already complicated thoughts. Priscilla, coming to him like that… Legault, flirting with him… Gee, he'd never known he was this popular.

Taking a walk down the corridors, he felt any anger towards Legault diminishing. Sure, he was frustrated that he couldn't find him, and he was almost a little relieved that he couldn't find him. After all, what was he going to say? There was still a great hesitation in Heath when it came to Legault. He didn't know very much at all about Legault, but what he did know caused him to pause before trusting him. But then he had to remember his own mistakes and how easily he could be placed in the same position as Legault. Ugh, it didn't help at all that Heath never knew when Legault was being serious or when he was just messing around.

How could he use the word love, when they barely knew each other? Well, perhaps barely knew each other was the wrong word. Fighting the same battles, sharing meals every day, traveling for hours with the same people; war could really tie a group together. And it could specifically tie two people together. Wasn't that why so many couples were springing up all over the place? Everyone had someone. And Heath had had his chance at a nice, _normal_ relationship. Why couldn't she just make him feel the same way that Legault did? Things would be so much easier.

Realizing what he'd just thought, Heath came to an abrupt halt in the hallway, and though it was only himself who had heard that thought, he couldn't fight the blush taking over his cheeks. Shit. Why was he thinking like this? Where had he gone wrong? Was this his punishment for being so blind and stupid that he'd followed Bern out of loyalty? Or was this punishment for being so, well, _not_ loyal?

Heath heaved a huge sigh. Life shouldn't be this hard.

Down the hall, Heath could hear two people murmuring. Judging by the timbres of the voices, it sounded like Raven and Lucius. Heath closed his eyes. He so did not want to go there. He started back the way he came.

He stopped in his tracks. He swallowed. Oh hell no. No, no, _no_.

Standing at the other end of the hall, arms crossed and leaning oh-so-casually against the wall was… Legault.

Hm, maybe running into Raven wasn't such a bad thing right now. _Stupid, did you forget who you were looking for all this time? He's standing right there._

Legault had already spotted him. There was no backing down now. Heath sighed and finished his walk down the hall towards Legault, hyper aware of his every movement and feeling self-conscious about it. Legault's eyes were too steady on him, and he wore that annoyingly smug half-smile.

What the hell should he say? He couldn't seem to bring himself to say anything. He was pretty sure at this point, if he opened his mouth, all that would come out was nonsense. Wait, no…

"Legault." See? Was that so hard?

Legault's smile quirked a little higher on one side at the greeting.

"Heath," he countered.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you _think_ I'm doing here?"

Heath's eyes narrowed. This was a trick. The sneaky little assassin wanted him to admit that he thought Legault was stalking him. Then he'd say something like, why, you think about me a lot, and then Heath would… Ugh! What _was_ it about Legault? He really did think about him a lot. How could he not? The guy was skulking around every corner. Every time he looked, he could spot a flash of lavender out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy?" Heath demanded. "Because if that's the case, it's working!"

Legault immediately arched a single elegant eyebrow as a response.

"What's that look for?" Heath continued, fighting the urge to snatch the swarthy ex-Black Fang up by the collar. No doubt, Legault would like that too much. "Are you going to try and act like every move you've been making isn't calculated?"

"Well, if you insist on knowing my motives, Heath…" Legault drawled, inspecting his nails casually. "Why didn't you ever show up in my room?"

Heath was all ready to rail about something else, when Legault's words registered. He screwed up his face, staring at Legault with disbelief and confusion.

"What? Your room?"

Legault gazed up at him with an amused twinkle in his eyes, tilting his head just slightly.

"Don't you remember? I told you to come to my room after your little soiree with Miss Priscilla. Don't tell me you forgot."

Actually, he had. When had Legault asked him to come to his room? If he'd remembered that little tidbit, then he could've saved those last couple of hours looking for Legault. All this time he'd been in his room, waiting? Heath regarded Legault with suspicion.

"Now what are you planning?"

"Who? Me?" Legault pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning on. Heath's muscles went taut, expecting…something. Legault was closing what distance there was between them. Heath stepped back, but Legault kept pace with him. Heath ended up with his back against the wall. He opened his mouth to argue, or say anything to keep the purple haired thief at bay, but Legault raised a hand; his index finger hovered just before Heath's lips. Even without physical contact, it effectively kept him from speaking. Damn his traitorous heart! It wouldn't stop thundering in his ears.

Legault lowered his hand, a smirk forming on his regal face. How could he pin him so well without even touching him? Heath scowled at Legault.

"I do wonder what goes on in that handsome little head of yours," Legault said, voice smooth and low. Heath couldn't seem to breathe; his eyes were captivated by Legault's unblinking gaze. _Is he going to touch me? Is he trying to psych me out?_ That traitorous part of him longed for him to touch him, the paranoid side was afraid of his own actions if he did.

"Do you really think I plot out every little thing I do?" Legault continued, looking genuinely curious. Still no contact, though his eyes were doing enough on their own. "I'm flattered, really. You must really think highly of me. I don't even give myself that much credit."

Ugh, Heath was having a hard time concentrating on Legault's actual words. The silkiness of his voice was stirring his insides into goo. He was too damn close. Heath shoved him away and walked past him, feeling breathless and light headed. He couldn't even think of a proper argument. What were they talking about again? He shook his confused head.

He didn't hear Legault coming up behind him—his steps were much too light, but he knew he was there. He kept up with Heath, walking alongside him.

"Where are you in such a hurry to get to, hm?"

Heath threw Legault an irritated glance.

"What do you want?"

"That's such a broad question, Heath," Legault said. Heath saw his eyes glint with mischief, but he wasn't fast enough to head off Legault's answer. "But it's you, of course."

"Argh!" His cry of frustration didn't account for the reddening of his cheeks, or the way his heart stuttered. "Stop playing games with me!"

"I think you're playing games with yourself."

Heath glowered. "Is that some kind of sexual joke? Because if it is—"

Legault shrugged overdramatically, putting his hands in the air.

"I didn't say that. That was a joke of your own making."

"I'd never make a joke like that!"

"I didn't, either."

"Urrrargh!" Heath stopped walking, balling his fists up. Legault paused as well, watching him with lazy, catlike eyes.

"Am I driving you crazy again?"

"Legault…" Heath said in a warning tone. He gritted his teeth. Gods! He just wanted to punch his elegant, self-assured face! Add to those scars!

Scars… A snatch of the night before drifted through his mind. A memory of caressing those scars… Had he really done that? Had he actually…? Heath took off down the hall at a quick pace, knowing the other man would catch up with him effortlessly. Agitated, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes! You drive me completely insane! Happy?" He was practically shouting by now, and Wil, who had been coming down the hall, jumped out of his way, watching him pass by with huge eyes.

"That's not exactly the emotion I was hoping for," Legault admitted.

"I'll bet it's not," Heath muttered.

"You know, my offer for a massage still stands."

Heath whirled around. "You're the whole reason I'm tense in the first place!"

Legault stopped a hair's breadth away from him. "Elaborate?"

"No!" Heath backed up. Tell Legault why he was making him tense? Yeah the hell right! "Gods, no! What I need is Hyperion. I need time to think. I need the freedom of the sky."

"What do you need time to think about?"

"Don't act like you don't know." Heath growled. He started out of the hallway, and towards the area where the wyverns and horses were stabled. Legault accompanied him there, silent. He said nothing until they arrived and Heath was almost finished gearing Hyperion up.

"Will you be there tonight?"

Heath looked up when he was finished fastening the reins, tossing his hair out of his eyes with a swing of his head. "Where?"

"My room."

Heath frowned, ready to tell the smug asshole what he could do with his room on his lonesome, but something about Legault's eyes stilled his tongue. He sighed, patting Hyperion, who was head butting his hand, sniffing around for a snack.

"Fine." Heath averted his gaze. "I'll be there."

-LH-

Legault felt utterly restless. Once Heath had left with Hyperion, leaving him alone on the ground, he stood watching until they were well out of sight.

Was he winning? Was Heath finally seeing him in a new light?

"Did you give it to him?"

Legault glanced over his shoulder. Nino stood there, her hands behind her back, big eyes staring up at him. Legault took the little bag out and whirled it around on his finger.

"I guess I'm still a coward, after all," he mused.

Nino pursed her lips and stamped her foot.

"Uncle Legault! You promised! You need to give it to him!"

"I plan on it. Tonight." _If he ever shows up._

"You better!" She grabbed onto his arm. "When you love somebody, you got to let them know. You can't keep it to yourself. Maybe he doesn't know. Maybe you have to spell it out for him."

"I suppose you know a thing or two about that…"

"Yes… If Jaffar never told me, then I… I never would have known." The young girl looked down. Legault placed a hand on her head. Of course, she was right. Some people needed more than a few obscure clues. Matthew's little friend sprang instantly to mind. Matthew seemed to be having a lot of fun leading the kid along, but Guy was probably one confused little myrmidon. The same probably went for Heath…

Although, everything Legault said to Heath…was the truth. Too bad he seemed to have too insincere a manner for Heath to take him seriously.

"Well, I can't let myself lose where Jaffar didn't, now can I?"

-LH-

Heath felt a hell of a lot better after his ride with Hyperion. More at peace. Still a little muddled when it came to Legault, but without the distraction of the man right in his face, at least he could think somewhat rationally. He still couldn't figure out where Legault was coming from, though. Was this whole thing a game to him? Why had he chosen _him_, of all people? He could have stalked someone more interesting. What about Matthew? They seemed like they might be on the same page. Maybe they were too similar. Heath suddenly felt very sorry for Guy.

Hyperion went down to sleep almost immediately after Heath gave him a bath and a rub-down. His belly was full from hunting, and he seemed content. Looking at him, Heath realized that all he was thinking about was Legault and his motives. Anything to keep the focus off himself, but…

What did he think about Legault? Just say, for a second, Legault wasn't winding him up. For one tiny second, what if Legault was actually serious? Heath had assumed that he knew Legault's intentions from the start. What did he really know about Legault?

Close to nothing, really.

It was one reason why he was so suspicious. How could Legault really love him? That had to be a joke, right? How much did Legault know about him? He was damn perceptible. He probably knew Heath better than he knew himself. Now that was a scary thought.

And damn, he was thinking about Legault again. What about himself? What the hell did he think? Never mind what his body wanted. He wasn't a moron. He could admit that, when he was up in the air, talking to Hyperion, where only he and his loyal steed could hear. The stealthy little assassin had the ability to make him…hot. He was embarrassed as hell to admit it, but Hyperion didn't care. _Legault turned him on_. Gods, even after admitting it, he still wanted to fight it. It couldn't be true. Of all the people…

Maybe Legault's decision to stalk him hadn't been entirely conscious. Maybe his body… No. No way. There was no way Legault was turned on by him. Then what was this? Why was Legault shadowing him all the time? What the hell was his true motive?

Heath went to dinner frustrated. His mind kept going in circles, his thoughts always came back to Legault's motives. He couldn't seem to let himself focus on his own emotions. He was too afraid of what he'd find out.

Legault was not at dinner. Heath looked. Was he really going to go to Legault's room? Why was the lavender-haired man so insistent about him going to his room anyway? He wasn't staging some kind of creepy molestation, was he?

He was too curious not to go. He had to know. He'd told Legault he needed time alone. Now he needed Legault to help him sort out his own emotions. Maybe confronting Legault would tell him something.

Hmph. On second thought, fat chance. Legault always found a way to sidestep his questions, or twist them around. He'd never get a straight answer out of him…

Still, he found himself finishing his dinner and heading off in the direction of Legault's room.

It was now or never, right?


	7. Chapter 7

**Game of Love:**

**A Heath/Legault love story**

**Disclaimer: **_ I do not own the characters. This story should be ending soon. Many sincere thank yous to those who have been sticking it out!_

_**Note: **About the eye color of Heath... I've taken a picture of him from the game/official art and stared at his eye color and it's non-existent. It looked kinda yellow in-game, which is why I refer to it as I do. I've seen fan art and others refer to them as green, however, so I just wanted to let everyone know I did do my research. I'm still unsure what's official, though.  
_

Legault couldn't face Heath without a little aid. So, he drained a glass of wine before the wyvern rider arrived. He was strongly tempted to down the entire bottle, but he forced himself to put the bottle away, out of sight. It was one thing calling Heath to his room, it was another thing calling him to his room while he was inebriated. Turn the tables a bit. Heath had never really witnessed a drunken Legault, but it was probably something his fragile little mind couldn't handle. Although, he would love to see Heath drunk again.

Why hadn't he just let Heath screw him that night? At least he could have died happy. Hah, who was he kidding? He would have died miserable and alone because Heath would never speak to him again. Either that, or he would have died at Heath's hands, which didn't sound so bad at this point. At least in the latter situation, he really would have died happy.

Maybe he should pour Heath a glass? He was bound to be all wired up. If he even showed. Legault thought he was pretty good at reading people, but Heath sometimes did things just to be contrary. So, who was the one conspiring here?

Legault sighed. His little "game" had failed. In trying to make Heath fall in love with him, he was the one who had ultimately fallen. What a mess he'd made. If he'd never approached the young Bern soldier out of curiosity, he might never be in this situation.

He smiled wryly to himself. _Don't lie to yourself. You don't regret speaking to him. In your own perverse way, you're actually enjoying this. _If there was one thing assassin was good at, it was jumping headfirst into a situation like this. If you don't try, you fail.

Legault grabbed the bottle from its hiding place. It didn't do much good to hide something from yourself. Whether it be a bottle of wine or some upwelling of emotion. He poured a second glass. He wouldn't get drunk off a couple glasses of wine. Yes. He did have those moments, more often than not, where he enjoyed toying with Heath. Watching him grow angry, shouting out how crazy he was making him… That was amusing. He'd had to bite back some obvious teasing responses. The part that wasn't so amusing was the fact that Legault couldn't seem to make Heath believe him.

Distressing, that.

Legault had just finished his second glass when he heard the knock on his door. His lips quirked up. "That must be him now."

He went to the door and opened it a crack, half expecting to see somebody like Priscilla or Nino standing there. Priscilla with a message, Nino just to be nosy. No… That would be Serra. See, this is why he preferred Heath. He wasn't nosy or simpering or pushy. Hm… Now, how would things have gone if he'd decided to pursue Isadora instead of Heath? Possibly leagues better. Heath was amusing, but he was also stubborn. So, yes, Legault was actually surprised to see the wyvern rider standing at the door. The man faced away from the door, his face obscured by the shadows of the hallway. His arms were crossed and he seemed impatient… and nervous. Legault's lips curved upwards and opened the door wider.

"It's Heath. How unexpected."

Heath turned sharply, then scowled at Legault. He made a slight, jumpy move forward, as if he planned on charging past Legault into the room, but stilled himself before doing so.

"Cut the crap."

"My, my, somebody's in a foul temper," Legault observed, moving aside to allow Heath inside the room. He made sure not to stand _too_ close. Whatever Heath had done with Hyperion up in the air didn't seem to have improved his mood much. This could mean several things; few of which didn't lay in Legault's favor. _He's angry and annoyed, which means he's fighting himself. If he's fighting himself, that means he's realized something he'd rather not. Which means…_ Well, for the most part, it seemed that way, but he could never be too sure. Not with Heath.

Meanwhile, the young man had slipped by Legault after a quick glance down the empty halls. _Embarrassed, is he?_ Legault closed the door behind him, watching as Heath gave the room a cursory glance. It was nothing special, as castle rooms went. Medium sized, regular sized beds, decent enough drapes and accompanying furniture. Legault kept it tidy, which might surprise most people, because Legault had been a thief once, after all. They did seem to have a penchant for mess and clutter. Legault had lived with them, he'd witnessed it firsthand. It hadn't bothered him, but this place wasn't really his, so he felt responsible for its upkeep. Despite the fact that the castle had staff to do that. Besides, that, his two roommates weren't around often. Matthew had his wild myrmidon to tame and Jaffar… Well, it was difficult to think of him making a mess of things even if he were in the room all day long.

Legault lingered in his place at the door, just drinking in the sight of Heath. He didn't seem to recognize that he was a fine looking specimen. Scruffy, unkempt hair, golden eyes—which were currently glaring at him. It was okay, though. It was just a mild glare, with no real heat behind it.

"Well?" Heath finally broke the silence. "Why am I here?"

"Why _are_ you here?" Legault responded reflexively. Oops, was he playing games again? He didn't even have the grace to wince inwardly at himself.

"I came here because _you_ asked me to. Or did you conveniently forget that? Or maybe," Heath said, picking up the bottle of wine. "You had a little too much to drink?"

"I suppose you know a thing or two about that one."

Heath paled. "We've all been drunk before."

"Perhaps."

Heath set the bottle down. "Look, you asked me to be here. I'm here. What. Did. You. Want?"

"I think I've answered that question before."

Heath gave him a Look and crossed his arms again. Legault put up his hands in surrender.

"I know, I know. No games. I promise. Well, I'll promise to try, anyway. I can't help myself sometimes. Automatic reflexes, all that."

Heath's expression didn't change much; Legault could practically taste the man's skepticism. He moved away from the door, silent as a cat, skirting Heath and going over to the table where Heath had set the bottle of wine down.

"Well, listen, this is silly…" The assassin started, knowing full well he was trying to stall the moment of truth. He just had to remember the conversation with Nino. He couldn't slither out of this. But it really was quite silly.

"And that's different from any other time we talk, how?"

Oh, he was growing some thorns now. Legault's smile widened and he shook his head as he reached forward—and Heath grabbed his wrist. Pale lavender eyebrows popped up as he turned his head slightly to gaze at Heath.

"No more alcohol."

"That's not what I was going for." Legault touched the inside of Heath's wrist with his fingers. Heath's eyes darkened, then darted downward, before he started to release his grip. Legault began to withdraw his hand when… Heath grasped his wrist again, tighter. Legault blinked.

"How do I know—"

"I'm not tricking you?" Legault smiled. "Simple. I said no games. I meant no games. But by all means, if you'd like to continue holding onto me, I'm not objecting."

Heath seemed at a loss for words. Legault expected his next move to be an angry step back, but instead he sighed and lowered his hand, still holding onto Legault's wrist. The assassin gave that motion a quizzical look, but he was interested. What did the wyvern rider have planned?

Heath cleared his throat. "So…"

The prompting in that one little word was unmistakable. One really couldn't blame him. Usually when your presence is requested somewhere, you tend to want to know _why_. Legault flexed his fingers before nodding his head towards what sat a little ways beside the green bottle with the peeling paper. Heath's gaze followed, and fell on the little brown bag. He could feel the other man's body grow tense for a second. Their conversation by the tree came to mind.

"What is that?" Ah, and there was the suspicious Heath he knew so well.

"It's silly, is what that is."

The expression on Heath's face as he said that was interesting. He sort of blinked in surprise, and a moment later he outright laughed. It was a beautiful sound. Gruff and rusty, revealing just how little he laughed. It was unlike any other sound in the world. And Legault loved it. He raised an eyebrow and allowed the butterflies free reign in his chest. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything like it.

"Are you embarrassed?" Heath asked, staring down at him and pulling him forward slightly. Legault somehow doubted it was a conscious effort on the other man's part. "You're embarrassed, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little."

"Why? What's in there?"

"The reason you're in here."

"The reason I'm in here?"

"Yes. That bag is directly related with the reason I asked you to come here."

Heath gave the bag a dubious once over. It was a small leather pouch, really. Worn and soft from use. He was probably wondering what value something like it held. Or perhaps he thought Legault was joking. When Heath said nothing, Legault tilted his head a little.

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

The lovely smile that had graced the wyvern rider's face only a moment ago was now gone. Something like worry stole over his expression, darkening it. Damn it, he was withdrawing again, and Legault knew little enough how to stop him from doing it, but he had to try. He reached up with his free hand and caressed Heath's jaw line with the barest of touches. His thumb traced his cheekbone. In a voice little over a whisper he said Heath's name. The young man reluctantly did as Legault was hoping he would; he looked into his eyes. It was kind of funny, because Legault had wanted Heath's attention to assure him there was nothing perverted within the bag, nor money or whatever else it was Heath thought it was. Only, now that he had his attention, his mouth had gone dry and he couldn't think on what it was he had been so desperate to convey. It wasn't like him to let his emotions get the best of him, but damn, he was awash in that golden gaze.

"Trust me…Please." The words came out more pleading than he would have liked—despite his choice in words, but it seemed to have worked, because Heath drew him closer. Those infernal butterflies were fluttering a lot faster now, up from his chest and into his throat. Heath seemed to be searching his eyes for something, and he seemed to have found it, whatever he was looking for, because his own free hand went around his waist to gently pull their bodies together. Legault held his breath, certain that Heath was going to come to his senses and push him away any second now. Instead, he lowered his head, hesitant.

_Is he going to kiss me?_ He only had that split second to wonder before he had his answer. Lips touched his, slowly, questioning. _Why is he kissing me?_ Would he ever fully understand Heath? Cold and distant one moment, and kissing him the next? Oh, who cared? He was kissing him. It was some kind of miracle. Unless he'd had some help from the bottle before this encounter as well. He couldn't help smirking at that. Heath paused, went to move back. Legault's return kiss stopped his retreat.

_No,_ he thought after he'd opened Heath's mouth to his. _He's definitely not drunk._

Running his hand along the wyvern rider's neck, Legault nudged Heath backwards a step. Heath broke free of the kiss, his breath coming harsh. It was a little hard to breathe when you forgot there was such a thing as air. _Wait for it._

"Why…?" Came the breathless question. Legault nuzzled Heath's jaw with half closed eyes. Gods, he smelled delicious enough to eat. He licked his throat experimentally. Heath shuddered, then jerked back. "H-hey!"

"Sorry, but you were tempting… What were you saying?"

"Never mind…" Heath's eyes went to the bag on the table. Legault's followed.

"Curious yet?"

"Maybe a little." Heath smiled as he echoed Legault's own words back to him.

"You should smile more often. Looks good on you."

Heath looked away, but he didn't look angry—for once. Now who was embarrassed? Legault stayed where he was only a moment longer, and then he finally moved away from Heath. He wanted to know why the sudden change of heart, but if there was one thing he was learning from each interaction with Heath, it was to let Heath do things at his own pace. So, the assassin perched at the end of the nearest bed and watched the wyvern rider, waiting for his next action. Would he look in the bag? Would he drink some of the alcohol? Would he turn around and leave the room? Mutter about why he was here?

For a long moment, Heath did nothing, and then… He turned and regarded Legault with an unreadable expression. Legault leaned back on his hands and smiled just the slightest, turning his head. "Hm…"

Heath frowned, but he glanced back at the table and finally plucked the bag up. He pulled the drawstring open and peered in with confusion. His eyes went to Legault, who did nothing but stare back at him. Heath turned his attention back to the bag, shaking its contents into his other palm.

They were the tiniest of little wooden carvings. A silly thing, really. Legault had made them some time ago for little Nino, but she had given them back to Legault, saying "you really made these for somebody else, didn't you?" Legault's gaze fixed on Heath, waiting.

Heath picked up one of the little carvings between his thumb and forefinger, staring at it.

"Is that…Hyperion?" He breathed.

"Hm… Yes."

Heath glanced at him before setting the first one on the table and inspecting another.

"These are amazing. They look just like him. How did you ever manage to get one of him sleeping?"

Legault shrugged.

"Why were you so embarrassed?" Heath asked as he put the last one on the table.

"You need to rearrange them."

"What?" Heath screwed up his face, turning back to the little row of eight tiny wooden Hyperion figures. Legault sat up and started to move the figures into their proper alignment, but he'd seen something that appeared to be recognition dawning on his face. Before Legault could finish the order, Heath shook his head and knocked Legault's hand away.

Legault slowly withdrew it. Heath stared at the figures, his jaw tight. _I'm losing him again._ For the span of a long breath, nothing was exchanged between them, neither man moved. Then… The wyvern rider reached out and took hold of the figure Legault had held last, and he placed it in the right spot. He didn't turn to face the assassin, his hand didn't leave the figure.

"Perhaps… I should explain…" Legault started, but Heath glared at him, effectively halting his words. He spoke next, voice rough-edged and raw.

"How can you possibly know if this is true or not?"

"How do you know the wind is there?"

"Because, I feel—" Heath drew in a breath and looked away, sweeping a hand through his hair. _Right. You know that's what my answer is._

Legault did not smile, smirk, or otherwise give Heath any sort of look of superiority. He felt long past that. Too tired of playing games, guessing at Heath's true thoughts.

"Heath," Legault began softly, letting the name float in the air for a few seconds. "Just because I feel this way, doesn't mean I expect you to return the sentiment. I'm just tired of you seeing me as some kind of scoundrel. What have I to gain from toying with you? I've done nothing but lost from the moment I first spoke to you."

"That's putting a really negative spin to things."

"I like to see it more as bittersweet, myself."

Heath stared at the figures again.

"They're yours, you know. No strings attached."

Heath let out a growl of frustration, grabbing Legault roughly by the shoulders. His golden gaze bore desperately into Legault's.

"But how can you be so sure, Legault? How do you know that's what you're feeling and not something else? What if it's just plain want? Or what if you just don't know the difference? How can you look at me and know it's only me? How long do expect that will last? How—?"

"Are you asking me these questions, or yourself?"

"You! I'm asking…! No, I just… I don't know. I want to know, but I…I'm…"

"Afraid to find out?"

"Damn it, Legault!" The wyvern rider let go of the assassin's shoulders and began to pace.

"I already told you, I don't expect you to return the sentiment. I'll just find work elsewhere."

Heath stopped. "Why?"

"You'd really want me to stick around? Knowing what you know about me?"

"M-maybe you'd..."

"Outgrow it? I'm a grown man, Heath. It's not puppy love." He stood up and grabbed the wine bottle. "Now… If you'll excuse me, I think I need to find a corner and maybe finish this little baby off."

Heath blocked his path to the door, placing a hand on Legault's chest.

"You're not seriously thinking of getting plastered now, are you?"

"Think of it this way; it's my way of taking to the air, if you will."

"You can't think while you're drunk."

"That's sort of the point."

"But I take to the air to think—Never mind that!" Heath took a few steps forward, pushing Legault back. "You're not going anywhere until we figure things out."

"Oh, I understand. You're allowed to run and hide whenever it suits you, but I have to stay on your whim, is that it?"

"No, I…"

"I see, I see. Is there anything else? Because as I see it, there's only one person in this room that has anything to figure out, and we both know it isn't me."

"You're so frustrating!"

"So are you!"

Heath grabbed Legault by the shirt with both hands. Legault paid it no mind, almost welcomed it. He lifted his bottle to get a drink—right up close in Heath's face, when his lips met lips instead. Lips that crushed against his, hard, hot, and passionate. Nothing at all like their previous kiss. Legault's head swam as Heath pulled back, looking shocked with his own actions.

Legault expected the wyvern rider to take off now, ashamed with himself and needing his usual space to think, but instead, Heath pushed him against the wall. He watched the golden eyes close. Legault licked his lips, poised and waiting.

"How do I stop thinking…?" Heath whispered.

"About?" _Say it for me._

"You."

Legault smiled slyly and wrapped his arms around Heath's neck "What if I don't want you to?"

Heath let out a shivering little breath. Fingers entwined in his hair and Legault watched him through half-lidded eyes.

Heath kissed him again.


End file.
